


Married Life

by Lastsyns



Series: Life with the Doctor [2]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Anal Sex, Depression, Kissing, M/M, Married Couple, Married Sex, Medical, Mpreg, Oral Sex, Recovery, Suicide Attempt, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-01-17 23:32:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 68,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1406629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastsyns/pseuds/Lastsyns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Married life is anything but normal for Jack and the Doctor as they split their time between traveling through space and time and Torchwood. But when the Doctor becomes sick, they realize just how normal their lives can become.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The blue box sat in a small clearing in a dense forest. The sunlight barely peeked through the thick trees. Except for the birds that chirped around her and the small animals, she was alone, waiting for her thief to return. He had left her alone for days this time and she could feel him calling out to her as he ran through the thicket. As he approached he snapped his fingers, and she opened the doors for him.

Jack and the Doctor stumbled through the doors muddy and laughing. Jack closed the doors quickly behind them and the sound of thumping filled the TARDIS as the arrows found a target.

"Oi, their shooting at my TARDIS," The Doctor stopped laughing as he complained.

"Well we did just escape from their prison." Jack commented. "And we did run naked through the courtyard where the queen was having her afternoon stroll."

"We were wearing shoes." The Doctor countered as he wiggled his converse covered foot at Jack. He chuckled as Jack threw him his coat and he dug through it's pockets. It was the only piece of clothing that he had managed to save upon their escape from the Palace of Thorns. Which was a good thing because he loved that coat, as he had reminded Jack several times as they snuck out of the dungeon. He pulled out a small key with a white diamond on it that was attached to a long chain, from the pocket.

"You know normal people don't risk their lives for a key." Jack said as he walked up behind the Time Lord and wrapped his arms around him, kissing the back of his neck. The Doctor turned his head and kissed him softly on the lips.

"We're returning the necklace to the good Queen Kaput." He replied over pronouncing the last part of her name. "The necklace belongs to the heir of the Sky and has been missing for years." He tried to move away from Jack to head to the console, but Jack held him tightly and nibbled on his neck.

"Besides," he continued. "The good queen makes a lovely Banana tart and..."

"No more banana's for you today." Jack interrupted him as he patted the Doctor's stomach. The Doctor's body was still thin and lithe but lately he had started to develop a small bump for his stomach. It caused him no end of displeasure and he pinched the skin unhappily for a moment before Jack moved his hand away. Jack didn't think the Doctor was fat at all, far from it in fact.

"But Jack," He whined at the thought of not being able to have some of the tart.

"So what is so important about this key anyways, why couldn't they just make a new key." Jack wondered changing the subject. The Doctor pouted out his lower lip and Jack nipped it causing him to smile. He quickly tried to pout again but couldn't.

"The diamond was grown in a cave on the Eastern coast. It is a one of a kind diamond that has data stored in it, that when placed inside the key, allows access to the vault." He replied.

"And they sent you to retrieve it?" Jack asked in surprise as he stared at the key in the Doctor's hand.

"Nah, they wanted to go to war. I am bringing it back before it starts." He tried once again to get away from Jack, but Jack continued to hold him tightly. He turned and looked at Jack confused but then laughed again as Jack scooped him up in his arms and carried him back further into the TARDIS. He took him into the bedroom the two of them shared and into the bathroom.

"Jack we have to return the key," he said as Jack sat him on the bathroom counter and started to remove his shoes. "Jack I can remove my shoes myself..." He went quiet as Jack kissed him.

"You think and talk to much sometimes." Jack whispered against his lips. "Now I am going to clean you up, have my way with you and in the morning we can return the key, understood." The Doctor nodded eagerly and Jack smiled as he kissed him again. He finished removing the Time Lord's shoes and his own before turning on the shower. They stepped beneath the warm water and the Doctor sighed as he leaned into Jack, letting the water remove the tension from his body. Jack moved his hand down the Doctor's stomach taking his erection in his soapy hand. Slowly he began to pump his hand around his member. The Doctor groaned loudly and grinded his ass against Jack's member. Jack thrust against the Doctor, not entering him. He leaned forward and bit the Doctor's neck and the Doctor moaned louder. 

"Please, Jack," He begged. 

"Not yet," Jack whispered as he nipped and then sucked the Doctor's ear lobe. The Doctor couldn't hold back anymore and came hard in Jack's hand with a whimper. Jack washed the cum away and then finished washing himself and the Doctor before wrapping a towel around him and carrying him to the bed. He dried the Doctor off and then left the towel in place as he walked to the side of the bed. The Doctor watched him with his eyes. Jack picked up his belt and slapped it a few times against his hand. He grinned as he watched the Doctor's cock twitch and start to become hard again. 

"Lift your legs and hold them up." Jack said. The Doctor moved quickly to comply, exposing his ass to the air. Jack slapped the belt against his hand again before landing the first blow on the Doctor's ass. The Doctor yelped in surprise but didn't release his legs. The second and third blows landed on both cheeks as well. The next ones Jack kept directly on his anus though. He cried out in pain and tried not to move. His breathing quickened and he squirmed slightly. When Jack returned to spanking his cheeks, he actually breathed a sigh of relief and Jack smiled. 

"You look beautiful laying there on your back." Jack commented and sat the belt down on the bed. He moved so he was standing in front of the Doctor again and rubbed his hand up and down the Doctor's sore hole. He pulled out the bottle of lube and lubed himself up before adding one finger to the Doctor. He pumped it a few times just to loosen him, before pressing his cock in slowly but deep. The Doctor moaned loudly as Jack took his thighs and pressed on them so that his legs spread wide. The Doctor reached down to touch himself and Jack growled at him. "No touching."

"But," he protested as his body tingled from the mixture of pain and pleasure he was receiving. 

"No," Jack said and the Doctor moved his hands to grip the bed sheets as Jack began to thrust into him. Jack fixed the angle several times until he was hitting the Doctor's prostate with every thrust. He began to thrust harder and watched as the Doctor grew harder and the Doctor gripped the sheets tighter in an effort not to touch himself. 

"Jack," he whimpered. Jack forced his legs further apart and thrust hard and fast. The Doctor couldn't help the scream that escaped his lips as he came hard. Jack followed him a few moments later and then pulled out slowly. With legs feeling like jelly, Jack moved a few inches to collapse on to the bed next to the Doctor. The Doctor rolled over and took Jack in his arms, pressing their mouths together and kissing Jack deeply. Jack kissed him back as he pulled a blanket over their sweaty bodies. Eventually he broke the kiss and held the Doctor tightly against him. For a moment the rest of the universe could wait.

He woke up the next morning feeling sick to his stomach. It wasn't the first time, no in fact it had been a week straight that he had been getting sick in the morning. He carefully untangled himself from Jack's arms and headed quickly, but quietly to the loo. He was sick almost as soon as his knees hit the ground in front of the toilet. He had been trying to keep the fact he was getting sick from Jack. He didn't want to worry him, or to stop their mission, but he was starting to get worried himself. He flushed and then rinsed his mouth out before returning to bed and crawling into the comfort of Jack's arms again.

Jack even asleep, held him tightly as he laid his head on Jack's chest, listening to his heart beat. When he had first met Jack, he never would have imagined that one day the two of them would travel alone together. Yet for the last four years the two of them had split their time between traveling through space and time, and running Torchwood in Cardiff. He had even last year taken Jack's hand in marriage, something he never thought would happen again.

He couldn't sleep again as he tried to figure out what was the matter with his body. He was more lethargic then normal and getting sick or a regular basis. He had also been having headaches again and a couple of times been dizzy. He had thought it was his energy levels at first, he had always had high energy and had to control his potassium intake in order to manage it, but he wasn't eating anymore potassium then normal. Jack had made sure of that. Maybe he just needed more and could convince Jack to let him have an extra banana with breakfast. He hated Jack sometimes for limiting the amount of bananas he ate, but he also knew that Jack did it only because he cared.

Realizing now he was getting hungry he leaned up and kissed Jack gently on the lips to wake him. Jack crinkled his nose and the Doctor kissed it before kissing his lips again. This time Jack softly returned the kiss, opening his eyes with a smile.

"Morning," Jack said as he kissed him again

"Good morning." He replied. "How does breakfast under the twin sunrise on Coradon sound?"

"Sounds wonderful." Jack sat up.

"Then shower, get dressed and meet me in the control room." The Doctor told him as he slipped out of bed. He watched Jack stumble sleepily towards the shower as he pulled on one of his brown pinstriped suits. On the way to the console room, he stopped by the kitchen and grabbed himself a banana as he started the coffee for Jack. Feeling domestic, and slight disgusted by it, he made his way to the controls. By the time he had landed, Jack had made his way to the console with a cup of coffee.

"Is there a restaurant or do we need to make breakfast?" Jack asked as he sipped the cup.

"There is a small outdoor restaurant near the water that is famous for it's breakfast." The Doctor smiled as he took Jack's coffee and took a sip. Jack raised an eyebrow questioningly at him.

"Since when do you drink coffee?" Jack asked as he tried to think of a time that he had ever seen the Doctor drink coffee.

"It was one sip Jack." He replied as he headed to the door and Jack nodded as he followed him. One sip of coffee though turned into an entire cup of his own. He savored the taste of it as he held each drink in his mouth before swallowing it. As he finished the cup he noticed that Jack was staring at him.

"I'm fi..."

"If you say fine, I will drag you back to Martha and let her run tests on you." Jack interrupted as he sat drinking his own cup of coffee, beneath the twin suns, watching the waves lap gently on the beach. Their breakfasts plates, now empty sitting on the table between them.

"Finished." He smiled cheekily at Jack. "We need to return the key to the heir of the Sky." He stood up and swayed slightly on his feet. Jack was immediately by his side helping to hold him up before he face planted into the table.

"The only place you are going is the TARDIS medi-bay." Jack hissed, angry that the Doctor was sick. "You have been eating too much potassium again."

"I had a banana before we landed and a banana with breakfast, that is not too much potassium." He argued. "And if I wanted to eat a whole bushel of bananas I would. I don't need you to constantly worry about my potassium Jack. I am 900 years old and I have managed it on my own."

"Not very well." Jack snipped. "Now to the medi-bay."

"No, I am going to deliver the key. If you don't want to come stay here." He started to head towards the TARDIS, irritated that their nice breakfast had been ruined. He noticed people watching them as he stormed off but he paid them no heed. He moved quickly until he reached the console and threw the switches and smashed the buttons angrily. He was just about to throw the hand break and leave Jack behind when the glint from his ring caught his eye.

He paused and turned to sit on the captain's seat next to the console instead. He breathed deeply and teared up a little as he stared at the ring. He didn't want to leave Jack. He was irritated but leaving Jack behind on a strange planet without a way back to him, was the last thing he wanted to do. He could wait for the Captain to return to him. It was over an hour before Jack wandered in. He was soaking wet and dripped water all over the grating.

"I'm sorry," The Doctor said immediately.

"Me too," Jack began to strip off his wet clothing, leaving it by the TARDIS doors.

"Let me return the key and then we will go back to Torchwood and I will let Martha run her test."

"If you don't I will drag you there kicking and screaming if I have to." Jack finished undressing and picked up his clothes. He headed right past the Doctor and into the back of the TARDIS. The Doctor sighed and finally pulled the hand break, sending the TARDIS on her way.


	2. Chapter 2

The TARDIS landed with her normal noise, but whether or not the outside world could hear her was another story. From within the TARDIS the Doctor could clearly hear the wind howling outside the door as the rain fell heavily outside. A clap of thunder made him jump as it sounded like the TARDIS had just exploded. He jumped again when Jack placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I just got dry, can't we come back when it is not raining?" Jack asked.

"The storm here is almost constant. We may have to wait weeks just to have a few minutes of clear sky and by then it will be too late to prevent the war." The Doctor informed him as he headed for the door. He grabbed his coat and put it on before opening the door. The door was ripped out of his hand and violently thrown open by the wind. he was knocked backwards hitting the ground hard as the rain poured in. Jack ran back to the console and threw up the shields, stopping the rain. Jack then ran back to the Doctor and knelt by his side, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the key.

"Are you hurt?" Jack asked.

"No it just surprised me." He responded as he moved to stand up.

"You wait here and I am going to go and return the key. After, we will go see Martha, she will run her test and maybe give you a shot or two." He made a face at Jack but nodded. "Then, I will take care of you for a few days and finally you can take me somewhere nice as a thank you."

"Only problem with that is I have to go in Jack. They don't know you and you will be arrested on sight if you walk in with the key." The Doctor explained. He took Jack's hand and held it tightly. "Allons-y?"

"Allons-y." Jack agreed and the the two of them made their way out of the TARDIS and into the rain. Jack was surprised to find out that they were in a small town. All around them people were going about their day as though it was a bright sunny day, rather then a dark miserable one. Jack looked up and saw the clouds were so grey they almost looked black. Occasionally a flash of lighting would streak through the sky and the loud thunder claps would follow. Jack jumped at nearly every one, causing children to laugh and point at him as they ran around happily in their play. They hurried at first, but they were quickly soaked by the downpour and their long coats became heavy with the water.

"How much further to the palace?" Jack asked as he watched a child run past them.

"We're not going to the palace. The heir of the Sky, is staying in the country. We are going to her." The Doctor responded as he turned down another street. This one was filled with street vendors selling food from tents covered with umbrellas.

"Bloody hell, how can they live like this?" Jack asked as the Doctor stopped at one to sample a strange looking blue fruit.

"They don't know another way of life," He responded. "They have lived in the almost constant rainfall for thousands of years. Food, clothing, and other goods are brought in by space craft from neighboring planets and if return they export minerals. The planet should be rich, but the Palace of the Thorns prevents them from making money. The good Queen Kaput is working to change that."

"I like her all ready," Jack smiled.

"Behave," he warned Jack as they arrived at a small shack. On first glance the place looked like every other house on the road, with people out front. On second glance it was clear to see the men watched them and all wore identical bands around their arms. The Doctor paid them no mind as he walked up to the door and knocked.

The door was opened by a boy no older then ten wearing simple clothing. He smiled up at the strangers. "Mother sends her blessings but she is stricken by a cold and can not accept visitors."

"I send blessings in return and bring news of a key. May we not step in from the rain and warm by the fire?" The Doctor replied, following their customs.

"Enter," A female's voice sounded from further inside and the boy stepped off to the side to allow them entry. A beautiful young maiden in a simple black dress, sat in the shadows near the fire. Her red hair tumbled down her back in thick curls and her green eyes shown brightly from her skin so pale it almost looked white

"Doctor," She drawled as she held up her hand. He took it in his and kissed her knuckles.

"Good Queen," He responded.

"What's this I hear of a key?" She asked and he motioned to Jack who held up the key at the end of the chain. "Oh you naughty naughty boy." She reached for it but Jack pulled it back slightly.

"You call off the attack and you can have the key back," The Doctor demanded.

"Of course," She snapped her fingers and the boy hurried to her side.

"My lady?"

"Go inform the Captain of the Guard he is needed." She said and the boy rushed out of the room. He returned a moment later with a man decked out in full military regalia.

"Captain send word that all troops are to return immediately back to their bases." She said and he saluted as he turned and headed back out of the room. She held out her hand again and this time Jack gave her the key.

"Don't suppose there is any banana tart?" The Doctor asked and she shook her head no. "Didn't think so." He whined as they left.

"That was easy." Jack spoke up as they headed back towards the TARDIS.

"Jack," The Doctor laughed as the men guarding the shack began to follow them. He tapped Jack's shoulder and pointed. Jack smiled at the Doctor playfully as he grabbed his hand and the two of them took off running.

As soon as they entered the TARDIS, Jack quickly took the Doctor to their room to change out of his wet clothes. He was already worried about the Doctor being sick and didn't want to make it worse by him staying in wet clothes any longer then he had to. He helped the Doctor to remove his heavy wet coat and then the Doctor disappeared into the loo. A few moments later Jack heard the shower start. Smiling at the thought of a warm shower he quickly undressed and then joined the Doctor.

"Need your back washed?" He asked as he nipped the Doctor's ear. The Doctor handed him the soap and a wash cloth and leaned forward a little to give Jack better access to his back. Jack quickly lathered up the cloth and began to wash the Doctor.

"I was thinking that we could go to Pana. They have a bread and tea shop that sits upon a small hill, well I say small but it is small compared to the other hills. Any way we could ride their horses up..." He was cut off by Jack.

"The only place you are going is Torchwood to have Martha run test and then to bed." Jack informed him and the Doctor groaned loudly.

"I want to go somewhere fun," He pouted and Jack gently turned him around to look him in the eyes.

"Then just answer the next question truthfully and I will consider it. Is this the first time that you have gotten dizzy," Jack asked and the Doctor averted his eyes. "We're going to Torchwood and that is final. Now I am going to finish washing and then get dressed. You have ten minutes to do the same or I will activate the emergency protocols and head back to Torchwood that way."

The Doctor nodded but didn't say anything else to Jack. He was trapped and he knew it. If the emergency protocol was activated, it immediately alerted Martha and the rest of the team that something was wrong and to be on guard. The last time it had been activated it, he had been hurt running. As soon as the TARDIS landed, he had been greeted by Martha, Mickey, Ianto and Gwen. Then he had been grateful to see them, now he wasn't so sure.

"I'll get dressed," he said stepping out of the shower.

"Good choice," Jack smirked.

He landed the TARDIS in Jack's office inside of Torchwood. Not bothering to grab his coat this time, he headed off of the TARDIS and was soon met by Martha. He wrapped her happily in a hug.

"Martha," He smiled.

"Doctor!" She exclaimed, hugging him in return. "How are you?"

"Fine," he answered immediately.

"No, he's not." Jack stepped up behind them. "He has been getting dizzy." Martha narrowed her eyes and the Doctor turned slightly to glare at Jack. "I don't know why you are glaring at me. We agreed to return so that Martha could check you out, now follow her to the Medical room and I am going to check on Ianto and Mickey."

"Come on Doctor," Martha said starting to head out of Jack's office. "Mickey and Ianto are down in the archives. We had a artifact come through the rift yesterday and no one knows what it is."

"I can take a look." he offered.

"Sounds great, I will bring it to you after Martha is finished." Jack smirked and patted him on the back as he hurried off to find them. Martha and the Doctor headed to the small medical room, that had replaced the autopsy room when she joined Torchwood permanently. She had insisted to Jack that she needed a place to tend the wounded as well. They had repurposed a storage room near the morgue for the autopsy room and turned the old autopsy room into the medical room. He climbed up on the low bed and sat on it, while Martha got on her computer and pulled up his medical files.

"How many times have you gotten dizzy?" She asked.

"Twice." He answered. "Today at breakfast and yesterday while escaping the dungeons in the Palace of the Thorns."

"Is there anything else unusual for you besides the dizziness?" Martha asked.

"No," He lied and Martha turned to look at him.

"We agreed that while you were in this room, you would be honest with me about all your medical problems so that I can treat you and feel confidant in my treatments. Now I will ask you again, is there anything else I need to know?" He wanted to run. Just to get in his TARDIS and set her to random. Letting her take him wherever she wanted to go. Life was so much simpler when he would just pick up companions, who he didn't have to answer to. He wouldn't change marrying Jack for the universe and it was nice to know someone carried about him, but it didn't change the fact that his life was more complicated then ever. He took a deep breath.

"I have been getting headaches more often, I have had three in the last week. I have also been getting sick for a week now and been using the loo more." He admitted and Martha tutted loudly at him.

"How much potassium have you had?"

"No more then usual." He replied and sighed loudly when she pulled out her potassium reader. It use to test for blood sugar but after Jack realized he had trouble maintaining his energy levels due to his potassium intake, Martha and him had developed the machine to read potassium levels instead. He held out his hand and winced slightly as she pricked his finger with a needle. She squeezed a small drop of blood onto a test strip before placing a piece of cotton on his finger. He held it in place while they waited for the reading.

"Your potassium levels are low." She said in surprise as the machine returned the results. "How many bananas have you had today?"

"Two." He responded.

"I am going to message Jack to bring you a yogurt with bananas cut up into it. In the meantime I want you to hope up on the scale so I can weigh you." She took his weight and found that he had lost some, concerned but not surprised, due to the fact he admitted he was getting sick, she had him sit back down. She looked in his eyes and ears and then pulled out a blood pressure cuff. She was taking his blood pressure when Jack walked in with the yogurt. His stomach flipped and he immediately paled at the site of it.

"I'm going to be sick," He whispered as Jack grabbed the trash bin. Martha removed the cuff.

"Your blood pressure is low." She informed him. "What is the matter with the yogurt, you love banana yogurt." He responded by getting violently sick into the bin and Jack took the yogurt out of the room, return a moment later with a couple of fresh bananas.

"I am going to take blood and I also want a urine sample." He made a face at her. "We also need to get potassium into you and if you can't eat the bananas I have a potassium supplement I can give you." Martha explained as she grabbed a tourniquet and a needle along with two vials to collect blood in. He rolled up his sleeve and she tied the tourniquet and found a vein. Jack kissed him softly on the head and he smiled weakly at Jack.

"You should have told me you weren't feeling good sooner." Jack chastised him.

"I had to return the key first." He replied, as he felt the pin prick of the needle entering his arm.

"The key could have waited. You do have a time machine after all. Your health is important Doctor and it maybe selfish on my part but I plan to keep you around for as many years as possible." He leaned his head against Jack for a moment before sitting up straight again. Martha carefully removed the needle and placed a plaster over the site. She took the blood to the side of the room and labeled it placing it on the desk. A moment later she came back over holding a small cup.

"No Ta," He said frowning at her.

"Yes Ta." She handed him the cup. "You know where the loo is. Now go." He grumbled and moaned at her as he slid off the bed. Jack caught him as his knees gave out and his head felt heavy. He breathed shallowly as the world spun around him and he felt himself be eased gently to the floor. When the world stopped spinning he lifted his head slightly and felt Jack pick him up and place him back on the bed.

"Doctor, I want to keep you overnight for observation, so that we can figure out what is wrong with you." She said softly and he nodded, feeling to sick to care. Now that the adrenaline had worn off from running, he was beginning to realize how tired he actually was. Martha went to the cupboard and pulled out a hospital gown. "I am going to give you a little privacy while you change. I still need the urine sample as well, as soon as you can." She left the room leaving the two of them alone.

"Please don't be mad at me." He begged Jack as Jack reached forward and started to unbutton his jacket and shirt with a firm face.

"I'm not mad, I'm furious that you didn't tell me how sick you were feeling. Martha wouldn't just want to keep you overnight for nothing and if I hadn't noticed you were getting dizzy we would be riding those damn horses up the hill." Jack snipped.

"I'm sorry, I hid it from you." He apologized.

"I am still upset Doctor. I thought we trusted each other more and for you to hide this from me, makes me wonder." Jack responded.

"I do trust you Jack. I just had things..." He trailed off as Jack rolled his eyes. He finished undressing and put the gown on. With a lot of embarrassment, he managed to urinate in the cup and Jack made a face as he placed it on the counter for Martha. He settled back on the bed and a few minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Are you ready for me?" Martha called in.

"Yes," Jack called back. Martha went over and looked at the sample sitting on the counter.

"Is your urine always so dark?" She asked.

"Normally yeah," he told her.

"I am going to start the test. I want you to eat the bananas and then we will test your blood again to see if the potassium levels are still low. After I want to run a MRI and cat scan on your head to see if there is a cause for the dizziness." She informed him. "I will be in the next room if you need me. In the mean time stay in bed."

"I will make sure he listens." Jack told her. Feeling defeated he started on the first banana.


	3. Chapter 3

Martha took the Doctor's blood and urine samples into her small lab off of the medical room. The lab doubled as her office and she had a small desk set in the corner of it, the desk was overly cluttered with papers and reports again. She really needed to talk to Jack about getting a secretary to help Ianto with all the filing and paper work. She would address that later though. She changed to a clean white lab coat and pulled on a new pair of gloves.

She started test to make sure his kidneys weren't failing and to further test his potassium levels. If a female had presented with the same symptoms she would be testing for pregnancy. She paused for a moment. Could the Doctor get pregnant? She had heard Jack mention of some males getting pregnant in the future but he had never mentioned if Time Lords were one of them. He had teased Ianto that Ianto was going to get pregnant due to his super sperm. Could he have gotten the Doctor pregnant or was he just teasing Ianto? She didn't know and she wasn't about to ask him and be ridiculed for the thought. For her own curiosity as well as amusement she started a pregnancy test on his urine.

She forgot about it though, when for the next hour she worked diligently on separating out his blood and run test after test on it. To her relief every test was coming back negative but it also worried her since it meant that she was no closer to finding out what was wrong with him. All the minor test were done and she just had to wait for the other test to finish. Finding nothing wrong, she would still run the MRI and CT scan but if they were negative as well she would have to put his dizziness down to his potassium levels. She sat back and rubbed her face. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the pregnancy test and sat forward quickly when she saw the results.

"How can you be positive?" She asked the paper before setting it down and grabbing one of the vials of blood. She ran the test three times and considered running it a forth. Though she knew no matter how many times she ran the test it would come back the same. The Doctor was pregnant. There was one way to be positive. She changed back into her other lab coat and headed out into the medical room again. The Doctor was relaxing and holding Jack's hand as the two of them talked quietly. The empty banana peels sat on the small table next to a half empty cup of tea.

"I'm not going to leave you Doctor, but in the future I want you to promise me that if you are feeling badly you won't hide it from me." Jack whispered.

"I will, I promise." The Doctor agreed squeezing his hand and Jack leaned forward taking the Doctor's chin in his hand. He held it as he pressed his lips softly against the Time Lords. Martha stepped out of the room into her lab again, before turning around and entering again.

"How are you feeling Doctor?" She asked loudly and they broke their kiss as he turned to look at her.

"Bleh," He answered.

"Did the bananas stay down alright?" She wondered as she grabbed the portable reader again. He nodded and held out his hand to let her test his blood. The test results came back and she was pleased to see his potassium levels had risen. They were still below their normal levels but were higher then before. "You still need more potassium but your levels are rising nicely. Now forgive me for even asking but Doctor can you get pregnant?"

"No." He made a face like it was the stupidest thing that he had ever heard.

"The reason I ask is every test I have ran on your blood and urine have come back negative, except for one. That one test was a pregnancy test." Martha told him.

"Why would you even run a pregnancy test?" He asked with his eyes narrowed as he stared at her suspiciously.

"My own curiosity. I remembered Jack mentioning men getting pregnant in the future and ran the test." Martha admitted.

"Well I am not pregnant."

"The blood and urine test would disagree. There is one way we can settle this argument for sure. I would like to perform an ultrasound."

"No. This is ridiculous. I am not going to let you perform an ultrasound because I am not pregnant." The Doctor crossed his arms.

"Doctor," Jack said softly and the Doctor turned to look at him instead. "I would normally agree with you, but men from my time have been known to get pregnant. I think you should let Martha perform the ultrasound just to be sure. If it comes back negative, I will help you to drag her aboard the TARDIS and we can run an MRI and CT scan on her head as well." He couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped his mouth at the ridiculousness of it all.

He pulled the sheet up to his waist and then took off the hospital gown. He leaned back on the bed and crossed his arms behind his head as he waited for Martha to prepare the ultrasound machine. She turned it on and then grabbed the small wand and the gel. She squirted a liberal amount of the cold gel on his stomach and he hissed. Jack took his hand again and he squeezed it as he watched the screen. Martha moved the wand around, looking at his abdomen. She was just about to give up and admit that the test were wrong when she found it. Deep in the Doctors stomach was a little fetus with twin heart beats. She looked up into the wide shocked eyes of the Doctor. His mouth opened and closed twice before his eyes rolled up into the back of his head.

-DW-

Jack barely even noticed the Doctor had fainted as he stared at the now blank screen in shock. Martha though moved to raise the Doctor's legs and make sure that he was flat on his back. She checked to make sure he was breathing cleanly.

"Jack," She snapped softly as the Doctor started to come around again with a soft moan.

"Sweetheart." Jack was immediately standing by his side, gently caressing his head. The Doctor opened his eyes and blinked before coughing and gagging. He jolted up and was sick all over the sheet covering him. He started to fall straight back again but Jack caught him and gently eased him back onto the bed as Martha grabbed the hospital gown and blood pressure cuff. She helped Jack to quickly ease the Doctor back into the gown and then hooked the cuff around the Doctor's arm as Jack got rid of the sheet.

"Slow breaths Doctor. In through your nose and out through your mouth." Martha advised patiently as the Doctor's panic began to rise. He started to breathe quickly not listening to her. "Jack come and calm him down."

"Doctor listen to Martha deep breaths." Jack soothed him and took his hand. He placed the Doctor's hand on his chest. "Breathe with me." He said and began to breathe slowly but deeply. The Doctor stared him straight in the eye as he began to copy Jack's breathing. Martha took the cuff off of his arm and then went and got the vial of potassium. She measured a small dose of the vial into the syringe and made sure the air was out of it.

"Sharp pinch," She warned the Doctor and injected the syringe into the muscle by his shoulder. He didn't react as he continued to breathe with Jack.

"How," he finally asked after a few minutes.

"Well you see Doc. When two men love each other..."

"Jack," he moaned loudly drawing out Jack's name as Martha chuckled. The Doctor's cheeks flushed red. Absently he reached up and rubbed the spot where Martha had given him the injection. "I know that, I just don't know how. Time Lord men do not get pregnant. I need my books." He said as he started to stand up.

"No you don't mister." Martha scolded. "I am still keeping you over night. So you might as well get comfortable."

"Tell me what books you want and I will go and get them from the TARDIS library." Jack offered as the Doctor debated whether or not he was going to listen to Martha.

"You can't read them they are in Gallifreyan." The Doctor said and started to stand up again.

"Then write down the names and I will find them. I know you keep all books in Gallifreyan on the second floor near the door to your office. I am sure I can find them." Jack pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. The Doctor took them and wrote down the names of three separate books.

"They should be on the second floor, on the first book case, on the bottom shelf." He told Jack as he turned and laid down against the pillows again. Martha brought over a clean sheet and covered him with it as he lay there.

"I'll be quick." Jack promised and kissed the Doctor softly on the lips before hurrying out of the room again.

"Will you be okay if we finish the ultrasound. I was unable to gather any data since you fainted." Martha asked. He nodded and started to just pull up the hospital gown, but found it slick with the gel that was left on his stomach when they rushed to dress him. He took it off and threw it to the side to join the sheet in the laundry. Martha applied more gel to his stomach and then found the baby again with ease, now that she knew where to look. She paused to take measurements and he stared at the child growing inside of him.

There was no doubt in his mind that the baby was his and Jacks. The question of how he became pregnant in the first place though bothered him. He would have his answers soon enough though. He just need Jack to return with the books.

"How far along do you think you are?" Martha asked as she continued. "If I go by human standards I would say that you are just about three months along."

"I don't know. That is why I need my books." He admitted. Martha finished what she was doing and then wiped his stomach off before putting the machine away. She got him a new hospital gown and he put it on and settled back. The door opened and Jack came in carrying two smaller books and one large one. The large one was very old look and Jack was carrying it with great care to keep it from falling apart in his hands.

"You couldn't have picked a lighter book." He joked as he sat the three of them down on the bed. The Doctor moved the top two aside and took the larger one, laying it carefully on his legs.

"No, I needed this book. I don't let this book or several like leave the TARDIS normally. They are old even by Time Lord standards. I saved them from the archives just before Gallifrey fell. Before that they were only allowed to be viewed by the elders who were assigned to preserve the books from the past." He admitted. He opened the book with care. The pages were frayed and several of them had come loose from the binding.

"So you stole them." Jack laughed.

"I saved them, other wise they would have burned along with everything else I loved and hated about the planet." The Doctor replied darkly as he glanced up briefly at Jack.

"Sorry," Jack apologized quickly, knowing the Doctor hated to talk about the war. He only began to reluctantly talk to Jack about it, after nightmares that left him sweating and screaming in bed. The nightmares had become easier to handle once he had opened up but Jack knew that the Doctor would never forgive himself for all the blood he had shed during the war.

The Doctor quickly became absorbed in his books. Satisfied that the Doctor wasn't going to try and disappear in the next five minutes Jack settled back to relax and try to wrap his head around the news. He was going to be a father again.


	4. Chapter 4

There were gaps missing in the book that he was reading. He knew that there would be from the start and wasn't surprised of how much the Time Lords tried to cover up. Leaving the book where it was he reached over and grabbed the book on top. Opening it to the section he wanted. He had laughed when he had first read this particular book on Time Lord History. It was one that was given to the general public and was full of lies and misinformation. It was still useful though for establishing dates and that is what he needed to do now. He found the correct date for when the infertility first hit the Gallifreyan people and matched the date to the book he was reading.

According to the older book across his lap they had experimented with several ways for the people to bare children before turning to looming. The one he had gotten the date out of, instead insisted that the reason they turned to looming was to make themselves genetically better, he threw the first book to the end of the bed in frustration.

"Problem?" Jack asked.

"No, do you have a pen and more paper?" He wondered holding out his hand. Jack handed him them and he began to scribble frantically on the paper. He reached down and retrieved the thrown book, opening it back up the the correct section. He then opened the third book. The third book was for professors and actually gave a little history into the looming process. It still didn't mention any male births. Only that they were able to reintroduce the ability for females to give birth but that it only worked for less then 10 percent of the population. Yet by them time they had resolved the issue, looming had become so popular most Gallifreyan's shunned the idea of giving birth again. Looming was allowing them to prefect their genetics and weed out the traits they didn't want. Gallifreyan's as a whole were becoming smarter and living longer lives. Reintroducing natural births was seen as a joke and quickly dismissed by the console.

He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck if frustration as he watched Martha check his chart. He sat patiently and allowed her to check his blood pressure and potassium levels again. Both were still lower then they should be.

"Do you have a headache or are you feeling faint at all?" She asked him in concern.

"No," He answered truthfully.

"You haven't ate anything since you threw up the banana, do you want to try some food?" Martha wondered and he felt his stomach flip at the thought.

"Later." He replied as he paled slightly and Martha placed a hand to his head. He felt slightly cooler to her touch and his skin was a little clammy.

"I want you to try and eat something soon, also make sure you are drinking plenty of water, the last thing we need at the moment is for you to get dehydrated." She went to her office and retrieved a bottle of water from her own personal store. "Drink this and no complaints."

He took a few sips and then set it on the table. She smiled and headed back to her office. Looking to his right he saw that Jack was still leaned back in the chair next to him. His eyes were closed and the Doctor watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest for a moment. Positive that Jack was asleep he looked to Martha's office. Since she had been in to check on him, he had at least an hour to go and get the books that he wanted and would be able to get back to bed before he was missed. He carefully threw back the blankets and moved to the edge of the bed.

"Where do you think you are going?" Jack asked opening one eye.

"No where," He responded guiltily as he moved back to the middle of the bed. He flipped to a clean piece of paper and wrote down the names of several more books. He ripped it out and handed it to Jack. "Can you take those two books back to the TARDIS and bring me these?"

"I will grab them, anything else?" Jack asked.

"A cup of tea and a banana." He questioned as he tried to become absorbed in his book again.

"I can do that. Do you mind if I get whiskey for myself?" Jack asked and the Doctor waved him off. He took the list and headed out of the room. He first went to the TARDIS and rather then just grabbing the books on the Doctor's list, instead grabbed a cart and filled it with the entire bottom section. He would try to encourage the Doctor to get a few hours of sleep later, but for now would let him keep busy. He knew it was impossible to get the Doctor to sleep when he was focused on a task. He next headed to the kitchen aboard the TARDIS and grabbed a bottle of 63rd century whiskey and made a cup of tea for the Doctor. Grabbing an empty glass, he placed the items on the cart of books and wheeled it past the Doctor on his way back to the medical room. He was almost there as he mind caught up. He left the cart and went back on to the TARDIS. He found the Doctor in their room at his desk.

"Doctor, why are you out of bed?" Jack asked in annoyance.

"I need a book that you don't have access to Jack." He said.

"Did you pass out when you stood up?"

"Almost." He admitted. He pulled his sonic out and sonicked the bottom drawer of the desk. The lock clicked and he opened it pulling out a book that was in even worse shape then the first one Jack had brought to him. "I will go back to bed now." Jack walked over to him and picked him up carefully in his arms.

"I don't need you to carry me," He protested.

"Tough," Jack kissed him on the head and then carried him out of the TARDIS and back to the medical room. He laid him gently on the bed and covered him back up. "Get out of bed again and I will get my hand cuffs out and hand cuff you to the bed."

Jack then went and retrieved the cart, pushing it so that it was next to the Doctor's bed. The Doctor didn't look at Jack as he reached over and grabbed one of the books, opening it up and setting it on the bed next to the others. Jack grabbed his bottle of whiskey and took a long drink before pouring a glass to sip. He had the feeling he was in for a long night.

-DW-

Jack was feeling pleasantly tipsy from the whiskey. The warmth spread through him and calmed his nerves. He looked over at the Doctor and smiled to see him hunched over a book, while scribbling quickly on a piece of paper. He had commandeered the cart at one point and was sitting up slightly using it as a table. On his face were his thinking glasses and Jack figured he must have grabbed them before heading to retrieve the book. It was too bad the Doctor was sick because Jack wanted nothing more to take advantage of the fact the Doctor was wearing a backless hospital gown.

He chuckled to himself at the thought and the Doctor glanced up at him for a moment. He eyed the Doctor seductively and the Doctor blushed, looking back at his books. Jack laughed harder, even after four years of being together, the Doctor still blushed at being flirted with. In truth it was something that Jack hoped would never change. The innocence behind it was something Jack rarely saw from the Time Lord.

"You need to take a break and get some sleep soon sweetheart." Jack commented as he took another sip of his whiskey.

"I'm almost done and then I will sleep. You will be laying down with me, won't you?" He asked glancing up at Jack again.

"You couldn't keep me from laying down with you." Jack commented with a smile and the Doctor smiled back before returning to his writing. It was almost a half hour later before the Doctor closed the book in front of him and took of his glasses. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, before running his fingers through his hair and then rubbing the back of his neck.

"That agitated?"

"I found the answers I was looking for and you're not going to like them Jack." He informed Jack as he cleaned up the books and placed them back on the cart. He picked up his tea and even though it had gone stone cold, he drank the last of it.

"What's the bad news?" Jack asked as he stood up and moved the cart out of the way. He turned the chair so that it was facing the Doctor as he still sat on the edge of the bed. Jack glanced briefly at the Doctor's stomach and then back up to his face. The Doctor reached out and took Jack's hand, gently rubbing his knuckles and making Jack's heart sink further into his stomach.

"I have told you before about the infertility that happened to my people and how they started looming children in order to continue."

"I remember," Jack whispered.

"Before the looming started they tried several ways to help women to conceive children. They came up with several procedures all of which failed. My people were dying off and they saw no hope of a future. That is when one of the scientist decided to develop a gene that allowed men to conceive and carry children. The gene was introduced and it was thought to be successful."

"It wasn't though." Jack finished.

"No. Very few men were able to successfully conceive and carry the child through the first trimester. Those that did, ran into complications that endangered both their health and the health of the unborn child. In the end less then one percent of the men were able to carry the child long enough to give birth." The Doctor finished. "In the end the experiment was declared a failure and the gene was made dormant through looming of the children."

"So why do you have the gene?" Jack asked.

"Because I wasn't loomed." The Doctor stated. "It was part of the reason I was always seen as a bad Time Lord. My professors loved to point out when I did badly on a test and remind my classmates that I wasn't loomed like the rest of them."

"So now we know that it was dangerous for men to get pregnant, we need to discuss what we are going to do about your pregnancy." Jack told the Doctor.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that given the facts, we need to decide if ending the pregnancy now, is the best option." Jack told him and the Doctor's eyes narrowed.

"There isn't going to be any discussion because it isn't going to happen." The Doctor growled angrily.

"I don't like this either Doctor, but from what you just stated most of the pregnancies ended in either abortion or death. What if it comes to a matter of you living or dying? I don't want to make that decision."

"I will make it easy for you Jack. If it comes to a matter of my life, then I will keep the baby in the womb long enough to give the child a fighting chance in the world." The Doctor declared firmly letting go of Jack's hand and crossing his arms.

"What if you can't last that long?" Jack's voice broke as he asked. The Doctor didn't tear up though as he met Jack's eyes.

"Then I don't live."


	5. Chapter 5

Jack stared at the Doctor in silence for a moment. His mind was numb not only from the whiskey but from the thought he could lose both his husband and his unborn child. If the child lived and he lost the Doctor could he really raise it on his own. His life had been hectic enough before the Doctor had whisked him away in the TARDIS again. He took a deep breath and reached for the whiskey bottle again. Before he could take a drink though, the Doctor took it gently from his hand and sat it back on the table.

"Jack, you are forgetting there is a possibility that I will carry the child successfully and deliver our child at the end of my pregnancy." The Doctor informed him softly.

"That isn't our luck Doctor." Jack responded unable to meet his eye again.

"No, you are right it isn't. There are vitamins I can take and with bed rest." He paused as Jack snorted loudly. "and your and Martha's assistance I can give the child a fighting chance."

"You can't even stay in bed for an hour, while awake. What makes you think you will be able to go a month or even two." Jack scoffed with a mocking look on his face.

"Because I want this child and a family with you." He said seriously and Jack's look faded. Jack closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. He heard the bed move as the Doctor settled back onto it. He opened his eyes again and then stood up and climbed up on the bed. Not carrying Martha was in the lab in the next room, he positioned himself so he was laying on the Doctor, using his one arm to hold his weight up while he pressed his lips to the Doctors. He reached down and unzipped his trousers and then lifted the Doctor's leg. He used his other hand to retrieve the lube out of his pocket and slick his cock up. 

He continued to kiss the Doctor as he slowly pressed into him letting their bodies join together. He took the Doctor with soft but deep thrust. For a moment he could forget the rest of the world as his body moved with the Doctors. He brought the Doctor to climax first before following him over the edge and spilling himself deep within him He then laid down beside the Doctor breathing hard as he wrapped his arms around him. He nuzzled his face in the Doctor's neck and nibbled it. The Doctor sighed contently in his arms, his eyes beginning to drift closed. The moment was ruined though by Martha clearing her throat loudly.

"I agree that you need to get sleep Doctor, but I want to check you over and you still haven't ate anything."

"Sorry," he muttered as he moved to get more comfortable in Jack's arms. Martha caught his arm and he grumbled unhappily at her as she pricked his finger to test his blood.

"Your potassium levels have dropped again. You need to eat Doctor. Would you like a banana or fish and chips?" Martha asked.

"Can I have both?" he wondered as his stomach reminded him just how hungry he actually was.

"You certainly can." Martha told him pleased that he wanted to eat. When they had first met Martha had assumed that he didn't like to eat. It was only as she got to know him better that she realized he didn't eat often because he forgot. He was always to busy exploring or working on one project or another to remember he was hungry.

"I just need to finish checking you over." She informed him as she took his blood pressure. She listened to his hearts and then checked his temperature before she was satisfied he was still alright for the moment.

"I will get you a banana for now and call Mickey to bring the fish and chips, since Jack is in no state to go." The Doctor chuckled as Jack snored softly beside him. He moved to sit up a little so that he could eat and Jack held him tightly in place.

"I need to sit up and eat Jack," He informed the sleeping man. He held Jack's arm as he moved and managed to sit up further on the bed. Jack curled around his legs, letting his head rest on his thigh. Martha stepped out of the room for a moment and when she came back the Doctor accepted a banana from Martha and a new cup of tea.

"Were you able to find out anything about the pregnancy?" Martha asked as she stayed around to make sure he ate.

"Yes and it is going to be a difficult one. I need to do more research into Gallifreyan male pregnancies but I am going to need a lot of help Martha." He informed her looking in her directly in the eye.

"What about your pregnancy compared to Gallireyan women?" She asked and he shrugged.

"My people were loomed Martha. There were very few Gallifreyans who were born and less that would admit that they were. Out of all the billions of Gallifreyan children, there were less then one hundred born naturally each decade since my people started to loom." The Doctor informed her, his eyes dark. She rubbed his shoulder and he took another bite of the banana as he went quiet.

Mickey arrived with the fish and chips. He woke Jack and the four of them sat around the medical room talking while they ate. After the Doctor settled back down in Jack's arms to sleep again. Jack placed his hand on the Doctor's stomach for a moment and the Doctor smiled.

"Does that mean you want the baby?" He asked sleepily.

"I wanted the baby the moment I saw it Doctor. I am just concerned about your health. You are my forever and I don't want to lose you." Jack kissed him softly on the head. He knew that he would only get a few thousand years at most with the Doctor and compared to his life it would be brief. He still liked to pretend for the moment though that he wouldn't end up alone, screaming in the darkness as the universe disappeared around him. He shuddered at the thought and the Doctor instinctively tucked himself closer. He held the Doctor tighter and felt the Time Lord's breathing change as he slipped off to sleep. Jack though couldn't sleep again as he held him. He just needed the Doctor to be all right.

After Jack was sure the Doctor was sound asleep, he very carefully sat up slightly and grabbed the bottle of whiskey. There was nothing more he wanted to do then join the Doctor in sleep and he wasn't going to accomplish that on his own. Luckily the bottle of whiskey he had chosen was a strong bottle and he downed several mouthfuls.

"Alcohol doesn't solve your problems Jack," Martha said from the doorway of the lab.

"I know, but it makes them easier to deal with," Jack answered back as he took another long drink.

"I am happy to see he went to sleep on his own. I was worried I was going to have to give him a sedative." Martha commented as she approached the bed to check on the Doctor one last time before she laid down for a few hours. She wanted to check his potassium levels, but that would require pricking his finger once more and would result in a very grumpy Time Lord, regardless of whether or not he was awake first.

"He has been sleeping a lot more the last few months." Jack responded quietly.

"And you two seriously didn't see that as an issue?" Martha shook her head slightly exasperated. "Anything else that has happened in the last few months, I haven't been made aware of?"

"He had horrible cramps a few months back. Given the new evidence do you think he might have had a miscarriage?" Jack whispered.

"It might have been, but without having examined him when he had the cramps, I couldn't say for sure. Even then the test probably would have been inconclusive since I would not have been looking for a pregnancy." She explained, her voice raising slightly. "I swear between the two of you, you are going to drive me to an early retirement."

"Shh," Jack soothed the Doctor, who moaned and tried to turn slightly at Martha's voice.

"No," He whimpered burying his head closer to Jack, tensing slightly.

"It's all right sweetheart, go back to sleep." Jack cooed as he rubbed his back soothingly and the Doctor relaxed against him again.

"You've gotten good at that," Martha acknowledged.

"I've had years of practice. I use to wake him up when he had nightmares, but all that accomplished was making him aggravated. I realized that it was better to calm him most of the time." Jack explained in the same soft voice as he continued to rub the Doctor's back. "I also realized that what I say doesn't matter, it's my tone of voice that he responds too."

"So we will continue this conversation another time," Martha realized what he was saying. Jack nodded as the Doctor started to lift his head. "Sleep well Jack." Martha whispered as she quickly made her way out of the room and up the stairs to sleep in the office. There was a couch in there that was large enough for her to lay comfortably and was still close enough that if she was needed during the night she was near.

Jack finished off the bottle of whiskey and then closed his eyes. He tried to the let the numbness of the alcohol overtake him and lull him in to a dreamless sleep. Yet when sleep finally came, it was anything but dreamless. Nightmares filled his mind as he screamed into the darkness as the universe collapsed around him. Yet he wasn't alone, there in the blistering cold, dying over and over with him was a faceless child. He woke up with a jolt, sweat pouring down his face. He turned to see the Doctor watching him with a concerned look. The Doctor handed him the bottle of water. He took a sip gratefully realizing his mouth was dry and his throat was hoarse.

"I woke you didn't I?" Jack questioned. The Doctor nodded. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." The Doctor scolded. He had woken Jack enough with his own nightmares to not be upset when Jack woke him. "What were you dreaming about?"

"The end of the universe." Jack admitted.

"Was our child their with you?" Jack looked at him questioningly. "You kept mumbling, not him too."

"Yes," Jack answered, realizing he was caught.

"You won't be alone in the darkness Jack and neither will our child." The Doctor commented softly.

"How can you be sure?" Jack asked.

"You're an anomaly Jack. That isn't something that can be passed on through genes. Our child will not be an immortal, it will be a Time Lord though, and have a Gallifreyan life span."

"Will the child be able to regenerate?" Jack wondered.

"I don't think so. I won't know for sure until after the child is born and I can run test on the Time Lord energy." The Doctor admitted.

"I still don't think having the child is the best idea."

"It's not. When has that ever stopped us?" The Doctor questioned raising his eyebrow. He yawned loudly and then closed his eyes quickly, settling against Jack's chest. Jack was concerned for a moment until he saw Martha entering the room. Martha just laughed as she pulled out the blood reader.

"I know you are awake." She teased him. "I will tickle you in order to get your arm to test your blood pressure and potassium levels." The Doctor pouted as he sat up and offered his arm.

-DW-

The Doctor spent the entire next day on bed rest, as Martha still didn't feel comfortable enough to release him. He wasn't able to maintain his potassium levels and his blood pressure remained low. To her surprise though, he didn't fight her. Instead he spent the day resting and scouring the books for any information he could find on male pregnancies. Though text after text left him feeling frustrated.

Most of the data on the male pregnancies had been summed up as inconclusive. It explained about the miscarries, deaths and even several abortions and even of the successful births, yet said nothing about the medical side of the labors. He through the last book back on the cart and swore colorfully in Gallifreyan. Jack looked at him in surprise.

"These books don't have the information I need. I need medical text that I don't have, because they were outdated." He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "I need my library Jack."

"If Martha releases you tomorrow, you can go to the library, but you are on bed rest again today." Jack explained calmly.

"I can't rest until I have answers," He replied in frustration as he moved to stand up. Jack stopped him immediately.

"You want to try to give our child a chance. Part of accomplishing that is going to be listening to Martha, regardless of whether or not you like it." Jack scolded him. He turned around and laid against the pillows again, feeling defeated. Jack's voice softened. "It is only until after you're no longer pregnant. Then you can run around like a loon again and I won't stop you." Jack promised.

The Doctor noted but didn't comment on the fact Jack didn't mention the baby actually being born. He knew Jack still didn't think the child would live and he was desperate to prove Jack wrong. Still wanting to get out of bed, he reluctantly wrote down the names of a few books he wanted and then settled back to wait for Jack to return.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a long day for Jack, he had barely slept the night before and with the alcohol and worry over the Doctor, Jack found himself drifting off. The Doctor watched him carefully, while pretending to be tired himself. He was sick of being confined to a bed and having no answers. As soon as Jack was sound asleep, he was going to get them. Martha came in and checked on him, before retiring to the couch again for a few hours sleep. He watched Jack's head drop against his chest, Jack's breathing evened out. The Doctor sat up and opened his eyes fully. He waited until Jack began snoring lightly before moving off the bed.

He went quickly but quietly to the TARDIS. He let himself on and then rushed to their room to change. Jack could awaken at anytime and he wanted to be back and in bed before that happened. He dressed in just his trousers, converse and a simple button up shirt. He hurried back to the control room and straight to the console. He ran around it hitting buttons and flicking switches. He even set the TARDIS to silent, something that he didn't do often, but now was necessary if he didn't want to wake the hub. He released the brakes and then released the hand brake. The TARDIS made a silent exit from the HUB and he was disappointed not to hear her engines thrumming.

He landed a short time later inside of a small shop. The shop at one point would have been considered a book store, now there were only a few books that were falling apart. New books hadn't been printed in almost a century as all books had gone electronic. That would change with the establishment of New Earth, but for now now, real books were considered worthless. The Doctor didn't exit the TARDIS as he used her to hack into the store's data banks and download all the information she could find on male pregnancies and Time Lords.

Since his own people had guarded their medical information, he didn't have much hope of finding the information he wanted. Instead he was going to gather as much information as he could on male pregnancies and would hopefully be able to base his pregnancy off of the information. He finished the downloads and then wiped the computers of any trace that he was ever there before leaving the store.

"I want a full analysis of the information on male pregnancies." He told the TARDIS as he drifted in the time stream. He set the TARDIS to go to another small planet on the outskirts of the dark zone in the year 73.5 alpha. There he exited the TARDIS and made his way through the crowd. He walked to a small pharmaceutical shop and purchased several pain killers as well as supplements that he was running low on. He paid the shop keeper and then made his way to a nearby vendor. The vendor sold fruit from all over the galaxy and he picked up several different types. One of which was a type of banana that had been altered to have a higher potassium content then regular bananas. Time Lords weren't the only species who required more potassium in their diets and the fruit had been altered to assist the different species.

He took everything back to the TARDIS and deposited it in the small kitchen before heading to his room again. He showered and then changed back into the hospital gown. He hated the thing and planned on burning it as soon as he had a chance. He passed by his science lab and grabbed a small tablet, that he had altered to connect with the TARDIS, so he could study the information in bed. He started to hurry back to the console, but had to grab on to the railing as he did so. His head had suddenly become heavy and he felt dizzy and sick. He took deep calming breaths as he waited for the dizziness to pass.

Setting the TARDIS controls to head back to the hub, just shortly after he left, he headed back. He landed her quietly and then moved around the console, turning her off of silent and resetting the breaks. He checked to make sure that everything was in order and then headed to the doors. Opening them to find Jack leaning against the wall by the TARDIS. Jack's arms were crossed and his eyes blazed with anger.

"I was gone five minutes," he complained as he stepped off the TARDIS, closing the door tightly behind him.

"Try five hours," Jack seethed.

"Oops."

"Yeah, oops. I was worried sick. I woke up and didn't know what happened to you and the TARDIS was gone. Now get back to bed and get back to bed now. If you even think of getting up I will tie you down." Jack threatened. The Doctor's eyes filled with tears and he hung his head as he started across the hub back to the bed. He wiped the tears with the back of his hand, silently cursing the pregnancy hormones.

"Doctor," Jack snapped.

"Yes, Jack," he sniffled as he stopped and he turned towards Jack.

"Give me the tablet." Jack held out his hand for the small computer in the Doctor's hand.

"But."

"No buts, give me the tablet and then get your ass to bed and stay there." The Doctor reluctantly handed the computer over and then made his way slowly to bed. When he got to the medical room, Martha was standing by the bed, her face was calm but her eyes blazed with anger. He pulled back the blankets and then climbed on the bed. She was gentle as she poked and prodded him, checking his temperature, blood pressure, potassium levels and hearts. She pulled out an IV from the cupboard and he opened his mouth to protest. He shut it quickly as her eyes narrowed. Thankfully she inserted the needle into his lower arm, rather then his hand. He hated it in his hand and probably would have gotten them even angrier by taking it out. Martha hung the IV bag and then stormed out of the medical room without having said one word to him.

He lay in the bed alone feeling sorry for himself. He was alone and bored and couldn't stop the tears that occasionally rolled down his cheeks. He didn't wipe them away but let them drip down his chin and onto his shirt. Absentmindedly he was picking at the tape around the IV but he didn't dare take it out and risk Martha or Jack's temper again. He didn't like the IV but he didn't blame her for it. If anyone had presented themselves to him with the same symptoms, he would have placed them on a re-hydrating solution or IV fluid immediately. The fact that she hadn't was more for his sake then the fact he didn't need it.

It felt like hours that he laid there alone wallowing in self pity. In actuality though it was a little over an hour since Martha left him, when Jack walked into the room. He was carrying the tablet and he set it down on the bedside table before turning the chair, so that it was facing the Doctor, and sat down.

"You terrified me today Doctor. I woke up and didn't know where you were or how long you had been gone. It was only thanks to the Torchwood cameras that I found out. Did you even stop to think for one moment of what would have happened if you had been hurt, or captured. What would have happened if you fainted while you were out? I had no way of getting to you or knowing. If you hadn't come back, I would have been left wondering why and hoping that just maybe you were out there living happily with our child." Jack's voice was way to calm for the amount of anger that still showed in his eyes and the Doctor shuddered. He also knew that Jack's worry about being abandoned was not something he could just ignore. It was a fear that the two of them had discussed on numerous occasions and one that he had reassured Jack would never happen. Yet even now it was clear Jack didn't believe him.

"I'm sorry," He said meekly.

"No, you're sorry you got caught. If you had made it back to bed before I noticed, you wouldn't have ever thought of apologizing for leaving." Jack snipped. "Also you have hurt yourself more. I thought you wanted this child."

"I do." The Doctor placed a protective hand over his stomach.

"Then you need to listen to Martha and stay in bed and rest, until she releases you. Your potassium levels and blood pressure have dropped again. You are getting dehydrated and your hearts are beating too fast for the fact that you are relaxing. You need to worry about your health if you are going to give our child a fighting chance."

"I will stay in bed." The Doctor promised.

"I'm sorry sweetheart but I don't believe you. I hope whatever information you have gone to find was worth the danger you placed yourself in." Jack handed him the tablet and then stood to leave.

"I went to find information on male pregnancies." Jack stopped in the doorway and turned to look at the Doctor again.

"That could have waited a few days. I know it is hard and you are worried about what is happening to your body, but pregnancies, regardless of whether or not they are by a male or female, run the same course." Jack informed him.

"You can't know that for sure." The Doctor mumbled.

"I can and you know that in my century male pregnancies were not completely unheard of. I know that your pregnancy is going to be difficult Doctor, but Martha and I can help you through it, if you are willing to let us." Jack came back over and took the Doctor's hand in his. "I love you and I just need you to be okay."

"I love you too Jack. Please don't hate me. I'm not just worried, I'm terrified because I can't find the answers I need and I don't know what is happening to me." The Doctor admitted in a voice barely above a whisper. He took his hand out of Jack's and wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, leaning his head against his stomach. Jack wrapped his arms around the Doctor and kissed the top of his head.

"I don't hate you, but you married me and I said I would stay with you in sickness and in health. Now let me take care of you." Jack practically begged him.

"All right." The Doctor agreed after a moment of silence.

"Thank you." Jack took the tablet back and placed it on the table before he fussed over the Doctor. He fixed the Doctor's pillows and tucked him into the bed before making him a milk shake using the stronger bananas. Jack then made sure he drank the whole thing and checked the Doctor's potassium levels himself to make sure they had gone up. He then helped the Doctor to lay down and gently stroked the side of his head in the comforting way the Doctor enjoyed.

"Would knowing the babies gender make it easier for you Jack?" The Doctor asked after awhile.

"Easier for what sweetheart?" Jack wondered.

"To accept that at the end of the pregnancy we will have a child."

"No, I don't want to know the gender. I know you are being optimistic Doctor and I am trying, but from what you told me, there is little chance that the child will survive the pregnancy. I think it would be harder to know what gender the baby is and to pick out names and plan for our future with the child. For now I think we should just take it day by day and see what happens." Jack said softly.

"We will have to plan for our child eventually." The Doctor informed him.

"And we will, let's just get you to the point where the child stands a chance of survival, even if it with a lot of medical help. Then we can pick out names and build a nursery, but not yet. I can't yet Doctor." He reached out and gently stroked the side of Jack's face with the backs of his fingers. Jack smiled and caught his hand, kissing his fingers softly. He didn't answer Jack as the tears rolled down his cheeks again. Jack was right. They had both lost children in the past and even though he knew not know the gender wouldn't make the loss any easier, if it happened, he could wait for Jack's sake. For in the end, no matter what happened, at least Jack would always be there for him.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Martha gave the Doctor a complete top to bottom physical, which even though he agreed to, made him highly uncomfortable and miserable. He was patient with her though as she checked his eyes, ears, mouth and throat. He remained patient as she listened to his hearts, listened to his lungs and checked his blood pressure. His patients began to fade though as she took blood and then had him stand up to check his weight. It was when she wanted to check his gentiles that he began to fight her.

"I'm not human," he argued as he held a hand to cover himself. Martha just sat in the chair staring at him with an amused look on her face. 

"I use to give the physical exams when I worked for unit. You have nothing I haven't seen before. If it makes you feel more comfortable though, I can bring Jack or Mickey in here as a witness that I didn't touch you inappropriately." Martha smirked and the Doctor turned redder. He reluctantly moved his hand. She finished her exam and he pouted as she allowed him to lay back down on the bed and get comfortable again. He looked longingly at the door wanting to run to his TARDIS and flee to the stars. There was always something to see and something to run from. After almost three days on bed rest, except for his escape, he just wanted to run.

Jack cheered him up though by bringing him another thick and creamy milkshake as well as a full plate of chips. He took the tray from Jack setting it across his lap as Jack climbed up on the bed. Jack wrapped his arm around him and he leaned in to him as he enjoyed his food. Occasionally Jack would steal a chip and he pretended not to notice. Martha came back as he was finishing and he glared at her. Jack gently tapped his leg and he returned to pouting as he leaned further into him.

"I have good news and bad news," Martha stated ignoring the look on his face. "The good news is that based on your physical today and the test I have ran on your blood, I am optimistic that you will be able to carry the child to term. The bad news is in order to do that you are going to have to be completely honest with me and Jack. You will have to let us know if anything at all changes with how you are feeling or if you have any new pains, so that we can deal with them."

"All right." He nodded slowly. Of what she planned on telling him, she knew he would take talking to them the easiest. Whether or not he followed through was another story.

"You will also have to test your blood on a regular basis and adjust your diet accordingly. I would be happy if you gained a few ounces as well." He made a face at the last two comments and she knew he would. The Doctor wasn't going to be happy having to gain weight, even if it was just a little for the babies sake. He was under weight based on human standards as it was, and getting him up to a healthy weight would be a struggle.

"Lastly I would prefer you took it easy on your traveling in the TARDIS and tried to narrow down how long you were out as well as where you go."

"No." He refused flat out.

"We will discuss it." Jack interjected. The Doctor opened his mouth to protest and Jack placed a finger on his lips. He closed his mouth as his eyes narrowed further. "Anything else Martha?"

"No, I still need information from him on Time Lord pregnancies. Without that I will do the best I can using his previous health information as well as what I know about human reproduction."

"I'm not human," he growled snapping at Jack's finger. Jack moved it and took his hand instead.

"No, you are not but Jack is. At least part of your child's DNA is going to be human." Martha commented and the Doctor accepted her answer. "Any questions about what we have discussed?"

"No."

"Then I am going to remove your IV and release you from staying in bed all day. I still expect you to take it easy and not push yourself, but your potassium levels are up and your blood pressure, while still low, hasn't changed. If you start to feel dizzy at all, you need to sit down and rest. Also I would like you to make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids and eating small meals frequently throughout the day. Do you understand?" Martha scolded softly as she removed the needle from his arm.

"Yes Martha," He sarcastically hissed.

"I am not the bad guy here Doctor, I am just trying to help you do what is right for yourself and your unborn child. Please don't treat me like I am doing this because I hate you."

"Sorry," he looked down feeling immediately guilty. Tears sprang to his eyes again. He turned and buried his face in Jack's shirt.

"Hormones?" Jack asked as he wrapped the Doctor comfortingly in his arms again.

"Yep, get use to it." Martha agreed with a slight snicker. "I will leave you to alone to talk." She stood and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"I want to travel," The Doctor's muffled voice came from Jack's chest and Jack sighed.

"You can still travel sweetheart. What Martha meant is she would like you to take it easy and not go places where we end up having to run for our lives. I am sure you know of at least a one place that you don't have to run from." Jack joked and the Doctor nodded against him. "See, now how about you take a shower and get dressed. I will make you a hot cup of tea and you can join me in my office and ignore me as you research pregnancies on your tablet."

"I like the running part." He commented as he raised his head.

"I know you do. Your insane and that is part of the reason why I love you. You just have to take it easy on running for a few months. Then I am sure Martha will be happy to watch the baby and let you run around like a loon for a few hours." Jack reassured him. The Doctor kissed Jack softly on the lips. He then got up slowly from the bed. When he was sure that he wasn't going to get dizzy he made his way to the shower.

He washed and then stepped out to find a fresh suit waiting on the counter for him. He silently thanked Jack and dressed before heading up to Jack's office. He paused in the doorway. Jack had set up an armchair with a small table in front of it. On the table was his tablet, paper, pens, bananas and a hot cup of tea. He had been with Jack four years and it still amazed him how much Jack thought of him day to day. Jack looked up from his desk and he smiled at him before making his way to the chair. He settled in to begin his research.

It was a few days later, when Jack suggested a short trip in the TARDIS. The Doctor had been studying almost relentlessly day and night and was growing more and more frustrated. That frustration reached a peak early in the afternoon as the tablet sailed across the office and slammed into the back wall, shattering the screen. They had boarded the TARDIS together and Jack suggested something peaceful before heading to the markets to replace the tablet. There was a museum in the 63rd century that he had always wanted to visit and it would be relaxing, yet engaging for the Doctor to walk around in. He should have known though that with the Doctor, it would be anything but relaxing. After barely an hour at the museum, the Doctor got himself arrested for licking one of the museum pieces.

"I understand that you couldn't resist touching it, even with all the signs telling you not to, but did you really have to lick it?" Jack asked exasperated as he stood outside a small cell. Inside the cell, the Doctor sat upon a bench looking rather pleased with himself.

"I had to make sure it was real," the Doctor defended himself.

"Well you're lucky. They are just going to give you a slap on the wrist and let you go," Jack stated. The humor on the Doctor's face vanished as he visibly paled.

"You realize that they mean that literally," he whined at Jack.

"I do, but being that you didn't break out and they are waiting just outside the door to punish you. I don't see a choice here." Jack informed him. "Just accept your punishment and then we will go and get you a new tablet since you decided to break yours." He didn't have a chance to argue as the door opened and three men entered. Two of the men wore the black uniforms of the law enforcement for the planet and the last wore a long black robe indicative of the Judges.

"Will the accused please stand." The Judge said, as the three stood outside the cell door. The Doctor stood up.

"Hello." He waved cheekily at them. Jack shook his head and sighed as he backed up and out of the way.

"You have been found guilty of touching several of the priceless artifacts in our museum. You have also been found guilty of licking a desk belong to our Lord Malin. For this you shall be strapped upon the wrist as a display of your crimes." The Judge informed him.

"I object." The Doctor responded.

"On what grounds," The Judge wondered.

"The punishment is harsh for touching a few objects. Nothing was broke or stolen. The thief's mark is an unjust punishment." The Doctor argued him.

"The objection has been noted." The Judge stated and then stepped back. One of the men stepped forward and pulled a long leather strap out.

"Please present your wrist." The man said. The Doctor unbuttoned his shirt sleeve, rolling it up to his elbow as he stepped forward. He glared at the men as he placed the lower part of his right arm outside the cell, resting his elbow on the bars. The man lined up the leather and then snapped it, encircling the Doctor's wrist. The Doctor hissed loudly, gritting his teeth and grabbing the bars with his free hand. When the man pulled the leather back, the Doctor's wrist was lined with small bleeding marks and Jack saw the little metal studs embedded into the leather.

"You," Jack growled angrily stepping forward.

"Jack stop." The Doctor said firmly. "The punishment is over, don't make it worse." He pulled his arm back and the men unlocked the cell allowing him to step out.

"At least let me bandage it."

"Not until we get to the TARDIS. The thief's mark is not to be covered while we are on this planet or I will be immediately arrested again for deceiving the public." The Doctor headed out of the cell and across the small square towards the TARDIS. The citizens, that had been so friendly, jeered and threw things at them as they crossed. The Doctor ignored them as he made his way quickly to the TARDIS. He unlocked her doors and was all ready setting the controls to leave, by the time Jack made it.

After they were in the time vortex, Jack cleaned and bandaged the Doctor's wrist. The Doctor set the controls to head to earth but towards the end of the 47th century, so Jack could get the computer he needed. Jack was surprised when they landed and the Doctor opted to stay aboard the TARDIS and rest. He should have been suspicious that the Doctor was being sensible but instead he was relieved. He bought the tablet they needed as well as a few wires and components he needed for his computer back at Torchwood. The Doctor was waiting by the controls when he entered and quickly set them to go back to Torchwood, or so he told Jack.

When they landed next, it was in a small destitute village. The people were struggling to survive due to a recent flood that had destroyed their crops. The Doctor swore it was an accident and scolded the TARDIS for acting up. Jack spent the next two days helping the men rebuild their homes. The Doctor on the other hand helped the women and children, sow new seeds into the ground and offered them small cuttings from his own garden aboard the TARDIS. He rested very little during their work and Jack caught him several times leaning heavily against the fence post, worn from working. On the night of the second day, they made their way back to the TARDIS and closed the doors behind them on the village. The Doctor yawned and walked slightly hunched as he made his way to the controls and set them.

"Are we going home now?" Jack asked as he flopped into the captains seat. The Doctor nodded and pulled the hand break before sitting down heavily next to the Captain. They were both muddy from their working and the Doctor's bandage around his wrist was dotted with blood. As soon as the TARDIS landed, Jack looked out and was angry to look out into a small house, with its windows blown out and part of its ceiling missing. He didn't let the Doctor explore as he walked over to the controls and activated the emergency protocol to return to Torchwood.

"Jack," The Doctor whined, but at least had the decency to look a guilty at being caught. Jack stormed back to the shower to get cleaned up and changed. He would have suggest the same for the Doctor, but he wanted to be alone. He was immortal but he was sure that the Time Lord was going to be the death of him yet.


	8. Chapter 8

As soon as the TARDIS landed, Martha rushed aboard with a concerned look upon her face and her medical bag in hand. He watched her eyes look over his muddy clothes and settle on his bandaged wrist. He took a deep breath and tried not to be upset. From the look upon her face he knew he was going to be back on bed rest, whether he liked it or not.

"What happened?" Martha asked as she approached him. She pulled on a pair of clean gloves and left her medical bag open beside her, as she took his arm in her hands. She careful began to unwrap the bloody bandage around his wrist.

"It's called the Thief's Mark," He said simply as she removed the bandage to find his wrist studded in pock marks. Most of them had scabbed over but a few were busted open and bleeding slowly.

"He couldn't resist licking one of the museum pieces." Jack explained as he entered the control room, wearing a towel around his head and nothing else.

"Did you clean the wound before you bandage it?" Martha asked.

"No, we decided to have a contest and take bets on how long it takes for his arm to fall off." Jack answered sarcastically as he headed to the TARDIS doors. Jack walked right off of the TARDIS and into the main Torchwood hub. Gwen screamed and the Doctor looked at the monitor to see Jack flexing for her as she threw a shoe at him.

"I could get you a divorce on the grounds of insanity." Martha commented as the Doctor hit the button to turn the monitor off.

"No, I think he can stay around."

"Are you sure?" Martha asked and he nodded slowly. Martha stopped working on his wrist and looked him in the eyes. "What is the matter?"

"You're going to make me go back on bed rest." He pouted, his eyes filling with tears.

"Actually I'm not. Even though I know you didn't listen to me based on how muddy your clothes are and the fact that Jack activated the emergency protocols to bring you back here. I am not even going to ask what what happened because I know I won't like it." Martha told him. "Just tell me why you decided to ignore me when you know I am trying to do what is best for you and your child?"

"All of the information I have read, states that the odds of me giving birth successfully are less then 1%," The Doctor admitted softly. Martha finished bandaging his wrist and then sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around him. He laid his head on her shoulder in a casual way that only came after they had stopped traveling together.

"That's no reason to give up hope. If you gave up every time something seemed impossible, you would never leave the TARDIS. I know that the second trimester is going to be harder, but I have been studying difficult human pregnancies and if you listen to me, I am sure we can get you to the point where the baby will live outside of the womb. I may put you back on bed rest later but for now I am also concerned about your happiness and being cooped up in bed will just make you miserable." Martha explained to him. "So how about you wipe those tears away, and come with me to the medi-bay and we will do an ultrasound to make sure the baby is still growing."

"All right," He agreed and used the back of his hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. He stood and followed her in to the medi-bay and removed his shirt before laying back on the bed. Martha pulled out the ultrasound equipment and quickly found the child. The ultrasound machine the Doctor had gave a much clear picture and she was able to see details of the growing child that she couldn't using the 21st century machines.

"See Doctor, even with your escapades the baby is still healthy." Martha commented and then hit a button to take measurements. She watched in amazement as the TARDIS measured the fetus and gave an estimated weight, all with just a press of the button. "I wish we had this, it is much easier to read, I bet I could even tell the gender of the child now." Martha commented in amazement.

"You could. Well, the TARDIS could tell you."

"Do you want to know what the gender of your child is?"

"Jack wants to wait until the baby is born." The Doctor replied.

"That's not what I asked."

"I do but it is also Jack's decision and he wants to wait Martha." The Doctor said softly but firmly ending the discussion. She printed out a few pictures and then wiped his stomach off.

"Everything still looks fine. You can go get cleaned up and then I want you to take it easy the rest of the day. Get some sleep too, you look exhausted, then tomorrow you and I are going to sit down and plan for the next few months of your pregnancy. I also need to know as much as possible on Time Lord babies so I can plan for if the baby arrives early." Martha commented as he stood up off the bed.

"I have an incubator as well as child sized oxygen masks." The Doctor remarked, his face grim and his eyes haunted. Martha didn't need to ask why he had them. His face always carried the same look when he talked about the Time War. He disappeared out of a side door that went into the corridors, while she headed back through the console room towards Torchwood's hub to find Jack.

"How is he?" Jack asked as she walked off the TARDIS to find him still naked, sitting in a chair drinking coffee. He had his legs propped up on the desk and had used the shoe to cover his groin. Martha shook her head.

"He is fine and the baby is still doing well. I want him to take it easy for the rest of the day but I am not putting him back on bed rest. He is a little down at that the moment though, so perhaps you could cheer him up." Martha asked hopefully.

"I could." Jack agreed and stood up, letting the shoe fall to the ground.

"And put some bloody clothes on."

"I thought you wanted me to cheer him up," Jack responded cheekily as he disappeared in to the TARDIS. He waited on the bed for the Doctor to come out of the shower. When the Doctor did come out of the loo though, he was wearing his pajamas and looked ready for bed. Jack contemplated letting him just go. He quickly dismissed the idea.

"Drop your trousers and bend over with your shoulders on the bed." Jack stated as he stood up. The Doctor nodded and followed Jack's directions. Jack ran his hand gently across the Doctor's arse and gave one of his cheeks a firm squeeze. "I am going to spank you until your bottom is rosy. Do you understand?"

"Yes Captain," The Doctor responded. Jack didn't bother to ask if the Doctor understood why. They both knew why Jack felt the need to spank him. Jack began softly, making the slaps overlap as he worked his way down the Doctor's bottom. With each pass he spanked the Doctor a little harder, until the Doctor's bottom was a light pink. It was then that he paused. The Doctor looked over his shoulder curiously. 

"Stand up." Jack said and the Doctor complied. Jack dropped to his knees in front of the Doctor and kissed the top of his member. The Doctor hissed his pleasure as Jack took his erection into his mouth. 

"Jack," The Doctor moaned as he began to lightly thrust his hips against Jack's mouth. Jack took the Doctor to the base and then held him there as the Doctor kept moving. He finally sucked hard as he pulled back and released the Doctor with a pop.

"How do you want me?" Jack asked looking up. The Doctor blinked as it took him a moment to realize what Jack was saying. It was rare that he was the top.

"On your hands and knees on the bed." He answered finally and Jack moved to comply. He handed the Doctor the lube and the Doctor knelt behind him. He shuddered in pleasure when he felt the Doctor give him a gentle kiss before working his finger in. 

"You liked that?" The Doctor wondered in amusement.

"Oh yes," Jack responded and felt the Doctor moving his finger slowly, teasing him. The Doctor stopped and blew softly on Jack's hole before pulling back. He went into the drawer beside the bed and pulled out a plug. He knelt back behind Jack and lubed the plug up before pushing it up inside him.

"Face me," The Doctor ordered and Jack turned. He was dripping with precum and the Doctor smiled before turning his back to Jack. The Doctor added lube to Jack's cock before lining himself up and impaling himself on Jack's erection. Jack bit his bottom lip to keep from cumming as he realized the Doctor had loosened himself up as he had played with Jack's bottom. The Doctor moaned as he took Jack to the base and then began to move. 

"Oh Doctor," Jack whimpered. He tried to thrust to meet the Doctor's hips but the Doctor stopped. 

"No moving." he informed Jack and Jack stopped. He held himself in place as the Doctor started to move again. Jack reached around and took the Doctor's cock in his hand, stroking it. As the Doctor's movements became erratic though, Jack took charge. He bent the Time Lord forward and began thrusting hard into his arse. The Doctor moaned and whimpered Jack's name until Jack felt him tense up and a moment later, spill himself on Jack's hand. Jack followed him over the edge less then a minute later. Reaching behind him, he pulled the plug out and then pulled out of the Doctor. He then pushed the plug in. 

"Come here sweetheart." Jack pulled the Doctor's shoulders up, so the Doctor's back was against his chest. He kissed the Doctor deeply and bit his bottom lip as they fell sideways onto the bed together. 

-DW-

The Doctor woke up feeling safe and warm, curled beneath the blankets. His head was rested on Jack's thigh and Jack was gently stroking his hair behind his ear with one hand, while he held a book with the other. They really needed to talk still, but he wasn't quite ready to break the silence. They should have talked last night, but when Jack came to him after the shower, they had made love twice and then he curled up and went to sleep.

"Tea sweetheart?" Jack asked realizing the Doctor was awake by his change in breathing.

"Please." He replied as he sat up and stretched. He leaned up and kissed Jack before stumbled his way to the loo. He didn't feel sick as he used the loo, washed his hands and then put his hand on the door. As he stepped out of the bathroom though, his stomach flipped and he barely had time to turn around before he was sick. He moaned as he gagged and was sick again.

"Yuck," Jack commented as he came back into the room. He scrunched his face up at the mess on the floor.

"She'll clean it." The Doctor rubbed the TARDIS walls affectionately and she hummed in sympathy. He took his tea from Jack and made his way out of there room to the kitchen. He sat the tea on the counter before turning on the sink and washed his face and rinsed his mouth out. "I'm hoping the morning sickness passes soon."

"Can't you take pills to help you. I know in the 51st century they have pills that all the women take to help with morning sickness." Jack commented as he made himself a cup of coffee. The Doctor took a drink of his tea and felt the hot liquid pass down his chest into his stomach, warming him up.

"I don't want to risk taking anything since the baby is half human." The Doctor answered. He knew it was going to be tricky when it came to medication during the pregnancy because majority of his medications would kill a human and vice versa. Because of that, when humans had started traveling with him on a regular basis he had separated out the Time Lord and human medications into two separate cabinets and locked the Time Lord one. Now the only three people who knew the combination to the lock were himself, Jack and Martha. He also had a third cabinet that held medications for other species that he sometimes came across in his travels. Those medications were rarely used though.

He took his tea and sat down at the small table, motioning for Jack to sit down across from him. Jack looked at him questioningly for a moment before taking the seat across from him.

"What's the matter Doctor?" Jack asked in concern. Normally when they talked, it was while he held the Doctor in his arms, not sitting facing each other at the table.

"I want to know the gender of the baby." The Doctor admitted quickly in one breath.

"I have all ready expressed my feeling on this." Jack responded as he took another drink of his coffee.

"I've tried to run from it Jack. Acting like the baby doesn't exist doesn't change it is growing inside of me. I can't run from it." The Doctor said softly.

"You sure as hell tried these last few days." Jack commented.

"And our baby is a fighter Jack." The Doctor responded. "I wasn't careful and the baby is still thriving."

"You want to know that badly?" Jack asked and the Doctor nodded. Jack stood up and took his hand, helping him to his feet. He led the Doctor down to the medi-bay and pulled out the ultrasound machine.

"Do you know how to use it?" The Doctor asked as he climbed up on the bed.

"Not really, but I have seen it used and it couldn't be that hard." Jack laughed. The Doctor shook his head and then walked Jack through setting it up. He leaned back on the bed and took the wand, aiming it at his own stomach until he found the fetus. He then let Jack take it and relaxed back against the bed.

"See the baby is a fighter." He said as they watched the twin heart beats.

"All right. We can know the gender but can we please wait on the rest for now? Jack begged. The Doctor nodded his agreement and was about to input the information for the TARDIS to tell them the gender when a loud sigh made them both jump.

"Don't you ever where clothes?" Martha asked them.

"My TARDIS," The Doctor responded as Jack replied, "No."

"We were just about to find out the gender of the baby, if you would like to join us. I've got the seat nice and warm for you." Jack wiggled his bottom around on the chair.

"I will join you, but I am getting a new chair." Martha went over to grab a sheet to cover the Doctor's lap and a chair for herself. She covered the Doctor up to his waist before taking the wand from Jack's hand. "Are you sure you want to know?" Martha questioned both of them.

"Yes," The Doctor replied almost immediately, his eyes lit up with excitement. Martha watched the screen as the Doctor resumed inputting the information. A symbol appeared on the screen and the Doctor's eyes lit up more.

"What does it say?" Jack asked.

"Girl," The Doctor exclaimed. He leaned over and kissed Jack again. Martha gave them a moment as she cleaned up and put the machine away. She then pulled out a clip board and settled down in front of the Doctor.

"You said tomorrow." He whined.

"If we get it out of the way, you can't hide from me." Martha commented and he stared her straight in the eyes for a moment. He looked away first though and Martha leaned back in the chair.

"Time Lord gestation is eleven months from the point of conception. The child though in the womb longer, is usually an average of 2.72 kilos at birth. The extra time in the womb is for the development of the telepathic centers of the brain." The Doctor told her without being prompted.

"So what can we expect the next few months?" Martha asked.

"Growth is normal between humanoid species. From what I have seen I am actually closer to 10 weeks along. So based on that, she will develop her limbs completely as well as complete her nerves in the next few weeks. Her hearts and brain will continue to develop, but she will grow a little slower then the average human."

"I hate to ask this next question but it is important that I know," Martha warned him and he paled slightly but nodded. "It's not ideal but with humans, we have been able to save children outside of the womb, routinely at about 21 weeks. I want to get you to full term but if we can't what is the earliest we can think about delivery."

"21 weeks would be acceptable but is not ideal due to the development of her brain. 23 weeks would be better." The Doctor's voice was low as he answered and Jack took his hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Last question and then I will leave you alone for awhile." Martha promised. "Your body temperature is lower then a humans. Do you think hers will be lower too?"

"I don't know. We will have to wait until she is born to see what Time Lord traits she has and what human traits. The only thing I can say for sure is she has two hearts." The Doctor shrugged. "She will be unique though, in all of my studies I haven't found a Time Lord/Human cross before. In fact inter-species gestation was thought to be impossible."

"I'm that good," Jack whispered loudly in his ear, and he laughed. Martha covered her mouth with the clipboard to hide her smile.

"All right, we are done for today. Go eat and don't lie to me and say you have." Martha commented as she stood up. The Doctor used two of his fingers to salute her and she took her clipboard and headed to the library.


	9. Chapter 9

Two weeks passed and things had calmed down. The Doctor was actually taking Martha's advice and keeping the TARDIS trips to places where they didn't have to run for their lives. Jack knew the Doctor yearned to run, but had the safety of their daughter in mind. Jack just wondered how long the Doctor would continue to be compliant before he became reckless again.

Yet Jack enjoyed the fact that he had woken up next to the Doctor in their own bed in the hub. The Doctor was curled up around a pillow and barely stirred when Jack got out of bed. Jack tucked the blankets back around him and let him continue to sleep. He hadn't been feeling very well the night before and had turned in early wearing his soft cotton blue jimjams. Normally they both slept naked, falling asleep together after making love, so Jack knew he was really sick and not in the mood for sex when he dressed for bed. Slightly disappointed but understanding, Jack had worn his sleeping trousers to bed as well.

Jack walked quietly to the loo and got ready for work. He dressed in his normal clothes and then checked on the Doctor one last time before heading up the ladder. The Doctor had barely moved except to bury himself further beneath the blankets. Jack went over to him and kneeling down, moved the blanket off the Doctor's face. The Doctor scrunched his nose up and moaned slightly.

"All right, I will let you sleep." Jack whispered. He kissed the Doctor on the forehead and it was only then that he noticed how warm the Doctor was. Slightly worried he headed up the ladder and to the medical room to retrieve a thermometer. He returned to their room and stuck the end of the thermometer in the Doctor's ear. The Doctor groaned loudly and raised his hand to swat at Jack.

"Jack." the Doctor moaned.

"I need to check your temperature sweetheart and then I will leave you alone." Jack cooed softly as he caught the Doctor's hand.

"Jack," the Doctor moaned louder, drawing out the word this time and opening his eyes a crack. He gave Jack such sad eyes that for a moment Jack felt like he was abusing the Time Lord instead of just trying to take his temperature.

"18 degrees," Jack exclaimed slightly alarmed. He grabbed the potassium reader and then took the Doctor's hand. The Doctor's sad eyes changed to a glare as Jack pricked his finger and placed a drop of blood on the slide. He waited impatiently for the results and then grew even more worried when the Doctor's potassium levels were low. Jack rushed back up the ladder to find Martha and get her opinion.

The Doctor while he was gone, in a vain attempt to get Jack to leave him alone, buried himself deep beneath the blankets, tucking them tightly around him. He didn't feel like being poked and having things in his ear. He just wanted to sleep. He was hot and his stomach felt like he had drank a large pot of tea and it didn't want to stay down.

-DW-

"Martha," Jack called out as he entered the hub again. He headed straight for the medical room and into her lab. Her white coats were still hanging on their hooks and the room was dark and empty. Jack looked at his watch and then cursed under his breath when he realized that there was still an hour before anyone was due at work. He also realized that he had dealt with the Doctor being sick before. Even though the Doctor was pregnant, he didn't need to panic. With a clearer mind he headed back to their room. Jack chuckled upon entering it and seeing just the little tuft of hair that indicated the Doctor was still under the blankets.

"Come on sweetheart, I am going to run you a nice warm bath to help cool you down." Jack tried to tempt the Doctor. The only reply he got in return, was the Doctor pulling the blankets tighter to himself. Jack pinched the brow of his nose and then went to the tub. He drew a bath a little cooler then normal and then returned to the Doctor. He pretended not to notice that the Doctor had uncovered his eyes and was watching Jack as he made his way to the closet. Jack got out a fresh pair of jimjams and a towel. He set them on the counter and then walked over to the Doctor. Jack watched in amazement as the blankets seemed to get even tighter around the Doctor.

"No, Jack." The Doctor pouted.

"You need to cool down Doctor, your temperature is too high and being under all those blankets isn't helping it. Now have a nice bath and then I laid out a pair of light jimjams for you to wear. Doesn't that sound nice." Jack asked softly trying to tempt the Doctor out of the blankets. The Doctor stared at him suspiciously for a moment before unwrapping the blankets and sitting up. He clumsily began to undress and then stand. The minute the Doctor was on his feet though, Jack watched his eyes roll up and his legs give out. Jack caught him before he hit the ground. Jack was rewarded for his trouble though, by the Doctor getting sick down the front of his shirt.

"Sorry," The Doctor whimpered.

"It's all right," Jack grimaced as he fought back the urge to get sick himself. "You can admit it, you just wanted me to join you in the bath." Jack helped the Time Lord to lean back against the bed, while he stood and undressed. He threw his clothes in the laundry and then undressed the Doctor and carried him to the bath. He set the Doctor in the water and then climbed in behind me. The water felt too cool to Jack but the Doctor relaxed against him with a contented sigh.

"After our bath, you need to try to get some fluids and potassium in you." Jack commented softly as he cupped water in his hand and let it drain down the Doctor's chest.

"I can't."

"Do you want Martha to put another IV in your arm?" Jack questioned him.

"No." The Doctor pouted again.

"Then you need fluids. Your potassium is to low and with it so low, your energy is going to be low. That means you are going to be tired and whiny until it comes back up." Jack informed him. He continued before the Doctor could protest being called whiny. "I never thought I would say this Doc, but you need to eat more bananas."

Jack sat with the Doctor for a little while longer before coaxing him out of the bath and into his clean jimjams. He helped him to settle back into bed and threw all the blankets onto the floor except for one light cotton blanket, that he covered the Doctor with. Jack dressed before heading back up the ladder and into the hub. He was shocked upon entering it to see Mickey restraining Ianto on the floor.

"What happened?" He demanded as he stormed over.

"Just showing Ianto a few moves." Mickey replied, letting the Welshman up. "You're late boss."

"I've been taking care of the Doctor," Jack replied.

"Is he all right?" Martha questioned. She had been standing by the computers the entire time, but Jack was focused on Mickey when he walked in and walked right past her.

"He has a slight fever and is getting dizzy again. His potassium levels are also the lowest I have ever seen them." Jack told her.

"I will get my bag." Martha said and started to turn to the medical room.

"Martha wait." Jack spoke up and Martha stopped. "I am getting him a banana smoothie and we took a bath to help cool him down. Just let me take care of him for now and I will call you if he doesn't show any improvement."

"Are you sure?" Martha asked, her voice immediately going professional and Jack knew she was unhappy about him shutting her out of the Doctor's medical care.

"I promise if anything changes or gets worse I will call you. Just let me take care of my husband and baby him for now. Then once he is less whiny you can do a full medical on him." Jack replied and Martha laughed. He gave her a quick hug and then headed to the kitchen to make the Doctor's drink.

-DW-

It wasn't even twenty minutes later when her phone went off with a message from Jack. She hadn't expected him to message her so quickly and wasn't prepared. Martha ran and grabbed her medical bag and then headed quickly to their room. The moment she entered she could see why Jack was so worried though. The normally responsive, hyperactive Time Lord was pale and slumped against Jack. Jack was holding the smoothie for him but the Doctor was refusing to drink it.

"How are you feeling Doctor?" Martha asked as she took his hand in hers. He barely reacted as she pricked his finger.

"He was more responsive when he woke up," Jack informed her.

"How long has he been this unresponsive?" Martha asked in concern as she waited for the reader to respond. She set it on the table in the meantime and pulled her stethoscope out of her bag. She placed it on his chest and listened to his hearts. Both were beating steadily but slower then normal.

"A few minutes that I know of. He refused more then a few sips of the smoothie and then relaxed against me. I noticed then that he was feeling warmer again so I took his temperature by ear. He didn't react or try to hit it away like he normally does, which first worried me. Also his fever hasn't gone down and is still at 18 degrees." Jack explained. The reader beeped and Martha grabbed it quickly.

"His potassium levels are abysmal." She showed Jack the reader.

"They weren't that low when I checked them before his bath." Jack commented.

"I didn't think they were. The important thing to worry about now is, getting his temperature down and his potassium levels up. Are you able to get him up the ladder and to the medical room?" Martha asked and Jack nodded. "I want to get him hooked to an IV so we can keep him hydrated and so I can also introduce potassium at a slow interval to his system. If we introduce it too quickly his energy is going to spike and that will make him feel even hotter." Martha explained.

"I am going to run to the TARDIS first and grab a cooling blanket to bring his fever down. Please get him to the medical room and make sure you are careful of his stomach as you climb that ladder." Martha reminded Jack as she disappeared out of the hatch.

Jack got out of bed and carefully picked the Time Lord up and carried him to the ladder. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to get him up the short distance without putting any pressure on his stomach. Thankfully though, Ianto appeared at the top of the ladder. He took the Doctor under his arms and helped Jack get him to the top of the ladder. Jack then carried the Doctor bridal style to the medical room and laid him down on the bed. Martha had beat him to the room and covered the Doctor in a thin sheet before covering him with the cooling blanket. On top of the cooling blanket she placed a thick downy duvet.

"Won't that just warm him up?" Jack asked seeing the thick blanket.

"No. It will be fine." Martha responded as she set up the IV. Into the saline bag she added potassium and mixed it in. She carefully inserted the needle into the Doctor's arm and then tucked the blankets around his arm leaving it exposed to the air. She placed an oxygen reader on his finger. The Doctor lay there too still for Jack's comfort and not knowing what else to do, he reached over and moved a piece of hair off his forehead.

"How long until he wakes up?" Jack questioned.

"I don't know. When he does wake up though, I want him to try to eat something. We need to get his energy up so that he can fight whatever is causing his temperature to spike." Martha commented.

"He was sick earlier."

"I have an anti-emetic he can take, that is safe for both Time Lords and Humans. I have been researching drugs that are safe for him so that when it comes time to deliver I am ready." Martha explained. "I was hoping to discuss with him today caring for a premature Time Lord but that conversation will now need to wait a few days."

"Our little girl will be all right, won't she?" Jack asked softly.

"Fevers are dangerous during the first trimester, but as long as we break the fever quickly, she should be fine." Martha admitted. Jack was trying hard not to think about losing the baby, so instead of focusing on it, he changed the subject. The two of them made small talk about Torchwood. They also talked about whether Martha and Mickey would ever have a child of their own. Mickey wanted children but Martha was more reluctant due their hectic lives.

The Doctor lay unresponsive for hours as they kept a diligent watch on him. His fever had dropped a little but still didn't break, also his potassium levels had risen slowly but weren't raising as high as Martha had hoped. She had just finished checking the Doctor and had settled down to read when a soft groan escaped the Time Lord's lips.

"Doctor?" Jack asked standing up next to the bed.

"Jack." The Doctor whimpered and Jack reached for his hand.

"I'm here sweetheart." Jack answered him.

"Cold." The Doctor tried to curl on his side and closer to Jack.

"We can't cuddle right now. We have to bring your fever down, and I will just warm you up. We can cuddle when you feel better." Jack explained softly as he guided the Doctor to lay on his back again.

"Cold, Jack." The Doctor whimpered halfheartedly again before his breathing evened back out. Martha grabbed the thermometer and placed it in his ear. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that his fever had came down again and was sitting at just above normal. Taking care not to disturb the Time Lord, she carefully removed the cooling blanket and left the other two blankets in place.

"His fever is almost gone. Hopefully when he wakes again he will be a little more coherent. Next time try to get him to stay awake and drink some water, I also still would like him to eat something." Martha told Jack.

"Sorry, I didn't think about it." Jack admitted.

"I know you didn't and I know it is hard having me involved and telling you what is best for him at the moment. Until after the baby is born though, I have to be here and making decisions that neither of you may like. Keep in mind though I am only doing what is best for your husband and your daughter." Martha reminded Jack.

"We may not like it, but we trust you." Jack responded.

"Then you won't hate me if I tell you that until after she is born, if his fever is even a little high, I want to know immediately." Martha glanced at Jack. "We aren't dealing with a normal pregnancy. Most pregnancies he would see the Doctor occasionally with more appointments closer to his due date. Because he has a high risk, unknown pregnancy, I need to be involved more."

"Daily physicals?"

"I won't go that far," Martha laughed. "I also won't go as far as living at the hub. Just don't expect me to stand by and patiently wait while you tend to him."

"I will try harder to keep you involved."

"That is all I ask." Martha commented as she relaxed back into her chair again and picked up the book. Jack kept his eyes on the Time Lord though and moved the Doctor's hand away as it crept towards the IV. The Doctor grumbled something in Gallifreyan and then sighed loudly. Jack didn't need to speak the language to know whatever the Doctor had just said, wasn't nice. He opened his mouth to tell him to apologize but the Doctor snored softly and Jack realized he was still asleep. He still didn't understand why the Doctor hated IV's so much that he would try to take them out even in his sleep. He had asked the Time Lord in the past and had only received the complaint that they were itchy. Jack just hoped that the fact he cared one was in his arm meant that he was starting to feel better.


	10. Chapter 10

Over the next twenty four hours the Doctor was asleep more then he was awake. When he did wake up, he wasn't awake long enough to try to eat and they only managed to get a few sips of water into him. At one point he did wake up and whined he was cold, until Jack climbed up in the bed with him. Jack sat on top of the blankets though and the Doctor flung his arm with the IV across Jack's chest and curled against him. Once Jack was in the bed with him, the Doctor seemed to sleep easier and also longer without waking up.

He woke up twice more slightly incoherent. He complained of having to use the loo and Martha made Jack help him to use a bottle rather then trying to take him to the loo. Normally it was something that the Doctor would have complained about, but he was too sick to care at the time. He even giggled the second time at having to use a bottle.

It was when the Doctor woke next that they finally saw change. His fever had broke and he woke with a clearer head. He didn't remember much about the last few hours and tried to figure out how long he had been in the medical room. He vaguely remembered waking up in it before but the last time he had been cold and alone in the bed. He snuggled closer to Jack who groaned in his sleep and held the Time Lord tighter. The Doctor glanced around the medical room and saw that Martha was sound asleep, curled in a chair by the bed. He still felt sick and realized that he must have worried them. His arm itched and he was unhappy to see that he had an IV. He followed the line to the bag and saw that it was almost empty. He hoped he could convince them to take it down.

"Jack," He whispered softly his voice hoarse. He tried not to wake Martha as well, but he desperately wanted something to drink and wanted the IV out.

"Hmm." Jack groaned and adjusted so he was more comfortable.

"Jack." He said louder and Jack opened his eyes. Jack smiled when he noticed the Doctor was fully awake and coherent. Jack leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. He pressed their lips together harder and Jack moaned softly as he opened his mouth a little. They kissed passionately for a few minutes before he broke the kiss and laid his head back on Jack's chest.

"Are you feeling better sweetheart." Jack asked, softly as he ran his hand soothingly up and down the Doctor's back.

"I don't know, but I am thirsty." The Doctor answered quietly, not sure how he was suppose to be feeling, compared to what they expected. He just knew that his whole body ached like he had been running non stop for days. He felt clammy from sweating and his throat burned for water like he hadn't drank in days. He also felt a bone deep weariness that just made him want to curl up and sleep again, even though he had just awaken.

"I will make you a nice hot cuppa." Jack informed him as he climbed off the bed. Jack left the room and the Doctor took the opportunity to sit up more. He began to pick at the tape holding the IV in place but Martha had wrapped it around his arm several times so he couldn't just remove it. He only had it half way off by the time that Jack returned a short time later with two cups of coffee and one with tea. Jack shook his head at the tape hanging from the Doctor's arm before he handed the tea to the Doctor and set one of the coffees on the bed side table before heading over to kneel in front of Martha.

"Martha, it's time to wake up." Jack cooed softly. "The Doctor's trying to remove the IV while he thinks we aren't watching."

"If he does I will put the IV in his foot next time." Martha threatened opening her eyes. She glared at the Doctor who immediately stopped picking at the tape and put both hands on his cup of tea and took a sip. He tried to look innocent but the tape hanging from his arm was a dead giveaway that he had been picking at it. She stood up and went to the bed, giving the Doctor a one armed hug. "We will check your potassium levels and I want you to try to eat something. Then we will discuss removing the IV from your arm."

"It itches." he complained.

"No, you just think it itches because you don't like it." Martha argued. "But the IV was necessary to get potassium and fluids into you. Your fever spiked yesterday and your potassium levels dropped to almost nothing."

"The baby?" The Doctor asked worriedly as he placed his hand on his stomach.

"She is still fighting." Martha commented. "It is evident though from the last twenty four hours of monitoring you though, that she requires a lot of potassium to grow healthily."

"Time Lord woman only needed to increase their potassium intake only about a 100 mgs a day." The Doctor countered.

"Which may be why so many male Time Lord pregnancies failed. You are going through potassium to create energy faster then anything we have monitored in the last four years. I can't believe I am saying this, but you need to eat a lot more bananas to maintain how much your body is using or you are going to end up sick with an IV again." Martha warned him and watched his face fall.

"I am still getting morning sickness. I can't keep enough food down to maintain my levels." He glared at the IV with all the anger of the oncoming storm. He didn't want to need an IV for the remainder of his pregnancy. Jack laughed and he turned the glare to Jack. The look didn't scare Jack but Jack hid his face behind his coffee cup as he tried to bite back the laughter.

"Then it is a good thing I have found an anti-emetic that is safe for both Time Lords and humans. So why don't we ask Mickey to stop off on his way to work, at the bakery to get you a banana banoffee pie for you and pastries for the rest of us. I won't even pretend to be mad when you eat the entire pie yourself." Martha commented and Jack's laughter stopped immediately.

"He is going to get a sugar rush as well Martha." Jack complained.

"Yes he is, and I have a medical conference I am attending this afternoon in London." Martha informed Jack, her eyes lit up with humor.

"That's just cruel Martha." Jack watched as she gave the Doctor the pill and then pulled out her phone to call Mickey, while they waited for it to work. "Are you really going to eat the whole thing?" Jack asked the Doctor, all ready knowing the answer.

"Yep," the Doctor replied happily, popping the p. The happiness that now filled the Doctor's eyes was infectious and Jack couldn't help but smile. With any luck he would be dealing with a hyperactive Time Lord this afternoon, which meant everything would be back to normal.

-DW-

Jack set watching the Doctor in disgust as he devoured the entire pie in one sitting. Martha had made sure that the Doctor had the pie before she left to got to the medical conference. She hadn't on the other hand released the Doctor from bed rest. Jack was wondering what he had did to Martha that made her hate him enough to try to keep the hyperactive Time Lord in bed while he was on a sugar rush.

"Can I have another pie?" The Doctor asked as he licked the pie pan clean.

"Why don't you wait a little while," Jack suggested. Jack was positive that it was on the anti-emetic and pure stubbornness on the Doctor's part that kept him from throwing up.

"Can I get out of bed then?" The Doctor asked hopefully.

"Martha hasn't released you yet," Jack reminded him.

"I'm bored," he complained.

"I know." Jack sighed as he watched the Doctor squirm on the bed impatiently. Jack had to act quickly or he was going to end up fighting the Time Lord.

"Can you wait her patiently for five minutes while I run and grab a few things," Jack asked positive that he was going to regret leaving the Doctor alone. The Doctor nodded and stopped squirming. He folded his hands in his lap and sat up straight. There was a mischievous glint in his eye though that worried Jack.

Jack rushed out of the medical room and up the stairs. He ran across the hub to the room where they kept spare parts and grabbed one of the boxes that hadn't been sorted yet. Still moving as quickly as possible he ran to their room. Leaving the box at the top of the ladder he slid down it and retrieved the Doctor's sonic and thinking glasses. He climbed back up the ladder, grabbed the box and took everything back to the medical room. Though he was out of breath when he returned he was still too late.

In the short time that he had been gone, the Doctor had removed the IV, gone into Martha's office and retrieved his medical files. Said Time Lord was now sitting with his feet up on the bed, leaning back in the chair going through them.

"I was only gone for a few minutes," Jack complained as he set the box down beside the bed before collapsing back on it.

"You were gone eight minutes and thirty nine seconds." The Doctor replied not looking up from the report he held in his hand.

"I thought you agreed that you would wait patiently," Jack huffed.

"I did," the Doctor answered indignantly as he furrowed his brow.

"Ten seconds is not being patient."

"It is when you are bored," The Doctor responded and Jack had no argument. The Doctor had him there. The Doctor glanced down at the box Jack had set by him and reached down to retrieve his glasses. He put them on and then smiled at Jack. Jack smiled back. He couldn't be upset with the Doctor that he was bored, if anything he was upset with Martha for not releasing him before she left.

Jack wondered what the medical conference was for and whether or not he had approved her going. Chances are though, he had. She normally planned to attend several conferences and seminars a year to stay up to date on the latest medical practices and breakthroughs. It was one of the conditions she had when she came to work for Jack and Jack was more then happy to oblige. He also knew from Mickey that she spent a lot of time at night and on the weekends reading medical journals and recently published works. She was dedicated to being a doctor and was one of the best Jack had come across in some time.

Jack was almost asleep when he heard the chair squeak. He looked up to see the Doctor setting the papers aside and moving to dig through the box. The Doctor picked up the sonic and several pieces, setting to work. Jack just hoped there was enough in there to entertain him until he tired himself out.

-DW-

When Martha arrived back at the hub that night, she was surprised to find Jack sitting by the rift computer drinking a cup of coffee. She went into check on the Doctor and found him sleeping in the chair. His glasses were hanging half way off his nose and his sonic was on the floor beside a metal contraption. Surrounding him was empty cups of tea, banana peels, a few empty plates and a couple of books.

"Jack can you help me get him into bed?" Martha asked, poking her head out of the room.

"He finally fell asleep then?" Jack wondered as he stood up and stretched.

"Long day?" Martha laughed.

"To say the least. He was hyped up on sugar most of the day and didn't want to rest. I ended giving him books and spare parts to try to keep him entertained. I left him alone about a half hour ago to try to get some sleep because he kept closing his eyes and then fighting to open them again." Jack responded as he went and picked the Time Lord up and carefully deposited him on the bed. He covered him up and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. The Doctor groaned and began reaching beside him.

"I need a pillow." Jack whispered and Martha went and grabbed an extra one. Jack handed it to the Doctor and he curled himself around it, settling down and falling into a deep sleep again.

"How are his potassium levels?" Martha asked as they left the room.

"They are up. They peaked at just below normal today. It was the sugar that made him hyper and being stuck in bed still was boring him. I left the room for five minutes to find him something to do and he was all ready up and out of bed by the time I got back." Jack informed her.

"You might want to take this opportunity then to find him things to do for tomorrow." Martha laughed.

"You're not going to release him from bed rest still?" Jack questioned and Martha shrugged.

"It depends on his potassium levels and how he is feeling. He is going to be on bed rest a lot until he gives birth, so we need to keep him busy and happy."

"So that he can be brokenhearted at the end." Jack whispered as he turned and placed his hands on the rift computer desk, hanging his head.

"She has a good chance to live Jack. We just have to do everything in our power to keep it that way. Keep him entertained so that he doesn't want to run in the TARDIS. I know it is going to be hard but we can give both of them a chance to live." Martha answered. She placed a comforting hand on Jack's back.

"And what if she doesn't."

"Then we will pick up the pieces and help him to continue to live. It will be hard but he has walked away before when he just wanted to stop." Martha responded softly. "This time though he won't be alone."

"No, he will never be alone again." Jack agreed, he wiped his face with the back of his hand before turning to look at Martha. "I have a few artifacts he hasn't cataloged and more spare parts for him to build with. If you can send Mickey to find advanced puzzle books, they should keep him entertained for an hour."

"I will also send Mickey for more bananas, and banana pies." Martha smiled maliciously at Jack. Jack swore under his breath and they both laughed. He was still worried, but he would continue to try to be positive for the Doctor's sake. Though the next few months seemed like they would be the longest of his two thousands years. Sighing he sat down next to the computer again and picked back up his coffee.


	11. Chapter 11

As the next few weeks passed, Jack tried his hardest to keep the Time Lord entertained and happy. They took a couple of short trips in the TARDIS and even managed to avoid running for their lives on all but one of the trips. Though for the most part they stayed at the hub. After the illness scare they no longer slept in the hub though, but aboard the TARDIS, where the Doctor could be moved easily at a moment's notice.

He had gained weight now that he was able to eat and keep the food down and it distressed him to no end. Though Jack and Martha both reassured him that he wasn't fat, Jack constantly caught him pinching what he thought was unnecessary fat on his stomach. He knew it was because of the baby and Jack even caught him whispering to his stomach that she was small and didn't need to make him fat yet. Thankfully it didn't stop him from eating. They tried to control his diet and give him foods that were high in potassium but not high in sugar. Though whenever he had a craving it usually involved a sugary food that made him hyper. Jack was trying to get him to balance the cravings and eat something healthy as well, but majority of the time he came back to the sugar substance gone and the healthy part untouched.

Their sex life had also came to almost a complete halt. With the Doctor's mood swings, sickness and overall tiredness he had only been in the mood twice recently. Jack loved the Doctor and would stand by him regardless, he just hoped it wasn't a trend that continued. Jack was still a very sexual person and not having sex regularly was hard on him. Still he would never cheat on the Doctor, even if the thought of bending Ianto over did cross his mind on occasion.

Jack felt guilty for the thoughts though as he held the Doctor in their bed, letting him sleep. He had been feeling unwell last night and had been sick to his stomach several times despite the anti-emetic pills. Finally the sweating miserable Time Lord had curled against Jack and held him tightly as he tried to sleep. His stomach was still sour and he shivered softly against Jack, despite the warmth of Jack's body and the thick soft duvet covering him. Jack stroked his hair behind his ear and read to him until finally sleep had come and he drifted off. Even in his sleep though, the Doctor was whimpering and when Jack tried to move him to get up, the Doctor had cried out as though he were in pain. Worried, Jack had settled back down to hold his husband.

"Wake up sweetheart," Jack whispered, trying not to startle the Doctor awake. The Doctor moaned and rubbed his face on Jack's shirt. "You're going to have to do better then that."

"No," The Doctor whimpered and his grip tightened again on Jack's clothes. Now that he was awake though, he couldn't ignore the pain in his hips. Even as he lay there it felt as though someone were taking a hot knife and stabbing it into his body, twisting it slightly. He cried out in pain and tried to curl into himself but that only made the pain worse.

"What's the matter Doctor?" Jack asked in concern looking down at the pain filled eyes. In the Doctor's eyes he could also see fear and that worried him even more.

"I don't know." The Doctor cried out.

"I am going to get Martha," Jack informed him, trying to move carefully out of bed.

"Don't leave me." The Doctor's terrified voice squeaked and Jack stopped. He took the Time Lord carefully in his arms, moving him as little as possible.

"Of course I won't leave you," Jack reassured him as he pulled out his phone to message Martha. He sent her the message that she was needed ASAP and then set the phone down to continue to comfort the Doctor. The phone went off a minute later that she was on her way to the hub.

"Jack, make it stop." The Doctor cried out and then placed his arm in his mouth and bit down hard, trying to stifle a scream.

"Don't do that." Jack carefully, but firmly moved the Doctor's arm away from where he could bite it. He was too late though and the Doctor's arm had deep teeth marks from where he had bit down. Jack examined them and was thankful the skin hadn't broke but the Doctor had a bruise all ready starting to form.

Jack lost track of how much time had passed before his phone started to ring. He looked down at the screen and was relieved to see it was Martha. He answered the call and put the phone on loud speaker as he stopped the Doctor from once again biting his arm.

"Where the hell are you?" He snapped in frustration.

"In the hub medical room, where are you?" Martha snapped back sounding just as frustrated.

"In our room in the TARDIS, he is in to much pain to move. Please tell me you found a pain killer he can safely take." Jack said.

"I have. I will bring it with me, but I will need to examine him before I will drug him." Martha answered back. "What is hurting him badly enough that he needs pain killers?"

"His hips." Jack responded.

"How?"

"I don't know, we went to bed early because he wasn't feeling good. He was up half the night sick and then when he woke up he was crying about being in pain." Jack answered exasperated and the Doctor cried out again, writhing slightly on the bed. "Hurry Martha."

"I am Jack, just hang in there. I am in the TARDIS medi-bay now looking for a portable scanner." Martha answered. Her voice, though still calm, now had a concerned tone to it since she had heard the Doctor crying out in pain.

"Store room, third shelf down, far right corner." The Doctor hissed through gritted teeth.

"Thank you Doctor, and you need to breathe." Martha told him.

"I'm trying," the Doctor gasped in reply and then tightened his grip on Jack's shirt again as another wave of pain hit him. He gripped his shirt so tightly that his knuckles were turning white and he could feel a dull ache in his fingers, but it did nothing to distract him from the pain. He cried out again and turned his head, managing to get his arm into his mouth. He bit down hard again and concentrated on the pain in his arm, trying to block out the pain in his hips. Jack tried to move his head away from his arm again and he hated Jack for a split second.

"Please sweetheart, stop hurting yourself more," Jack begged him. The Doctor released the grip on his arm and Jack moved it. He sighed loudly when he saw drops of blood this time in the teeth marks.

"Found it, on my way." Martha said over the phone.

"Bring antibiotics and bandages." Jack replied.

"For you or him." Martha wondered.

"Him, he bit himself deep enough to draw blood." Jack informed her, and the Doctor glared up at him despite his pain. "Well it wasn't like she wasn't going to notice." Jack replied snidely to the glare. He hung the phone up and then waited impatiently for Martha to arrive.

Martha entered the bedroom to find the Time Lord writhing slightly against Jack. A large black and purple bruise stood out on his lower arm. She could also see that his bicep was dotted with blood that had begun to trickle down his arm. The bleeding had all ready stopped by itself though and wasn't a major concern. He was sweaty, slightly pale and more gasping for breath in his pain, then actually breathing. Martha wasn't sure who looked more miserable though, the Doctor himself or Jack, who was trying desperately to comfort him. Jack had dark circles beginning to form around his eyes and he also looked slightly pale. Martha wondered when the last time either of them had a good night sleep.

"I'm here Doctor," she said softly as she entered and he looked at her expectantly.

"Martha," he whined. "It hurts."

"I know love. I need to see why it hurts though. So I need you to turn on to your back so that I can examine your pelvis." Martha gently told him as she approached his side of the bed.

"No," he whimpered in reply, gripping Jack's shirt tighter.

"It will be just for a minute and then I have a pain killer I can safely give you." Martha informed him. He laid there clinging to Jack for another moment before his grip loosened and he tried to ease himself backwards. He howled in pain though and stiffened. Martha and Jack eased him the rest of way over and he cried out in pain and tried to curl over on his side again. Jack took his hand and he gripped it tightly.

"I know, I'm sorry," Martha apologized as she pulled on gloves. She carefully pushed his trousers down off of his hips and then began to feel around his pelvic region. He cried out and tried to move away from her hands. His muscles felt tight but not dangerously so. Yet with every touch he writhed under her hands.

"It's all right sweetheart," Jack comforted him as he watched Martha work. The Doctor looked up at him, his eyes pleading for Jack to make the pain stop and Jack's heart broke slightly at seeing the Doctor in so much pain.

"Jack can you help me use his scanner. I haven't seen one like this before." Martha commented as she picked up the small device. Jack reached out and took it from her.

"That's because this hasn't been invented yet." Jack replied as he turned the device on and then set it to scan. He held his hand under it to confirm it was working. He could clearly see all of the bones in his hand. She scanned his pelvic region and confirmed that he had no fractures or broken bones. She turned the scanner off and placed it back in her bag.

"Doctor, as you are aware during a female pregnancy the hips widen to make room for the baby to be delivered. You have ligaments around your womb that are being stretched also to make room for the growing child in you. I know it is painful and something you have never experienced before but I believe that is what is happening. Just in case though I want to get you to the medi-bay and run a complete MRI to look for blood clots and I also want a urine sample to test for a UTI." Martha informed him. He gave her a look of utter disgust for even suggesting it.

"Hurts to move." He reminded her.

"I know. I will give you a small dose of pain killers to take the edge off but I don't want to drug you up completely until we know what is going on." Martha pulled out the vial of pain killers and drew up a small dose in to the syringe. She cleaned a place on his arm and then injected the pain killer. "There just let that help. I am going to clean your arm and then we will get you to the medi-bay."

Martha carefully wiped the blood off of his arm, examining the bite mark as she did so. It was on the inside part of his bicep and though it had broken skin, the bite marks were thankfully not that deep. He would have a bruise from it and be sore but he didn't require stitches. She cleaned the cut well and he hissed at her, looking at her sadly for causing him more pain. She tried her best to ignore it, though as she bandaged the cuts. She then drew up a syringe of the antibiotics. Bites in general were more prone to infection and it was the last thing the Doctor needed at the moment.

"Roll back over on to your side," Martha said as she made sure there was no air in the syringe. He wanted to be on his side anyways since it had hurt less, so he complied. "I am going to move your trousers down a little and give you the injection." Martha gently eased his trousers down so the top of his arse was showing. She cleaned a spot and then inserted the needle. The indignant look he gave her, made her laugh. She emptied the syringe and then withdrew the needle. He reached down and pulled his trousers back up with a humph noise.

"All right, I am going to go get a bed so that we can transport you to the medi-bay." Martha informed him as she stood up. "After we have completed the MRI and I have ran the test to confirm whether or not you have a UTI, we will discuss the best course of action."

"Will the MRI hurt the baby?" Jack wondered.

"No, they routinely run MRI's on pregnant woman during this century and there have been no noticeable side effects." Martha answered him. She left the room to go and retrieve the bed.

"Is the pain medicine helping?" Jack asked the Doctor and he nodded weakly.

"I can't take this." He whispered, sounding defeated. "I should have listened to you." The Doctor continued to whisper, a tear streaming down the side of his face.

"About what?" Jack asked slightly confused.

"Ending it."

"No, don't say that." Jack laid down and took the Time Lord in his arms. "I know it is hard but you are further along then I ever expected. We just need to make it a little while longer and then we will have our daughter. I know it is hard now, but in the end it will be worth it."

"I can't do it." This time Jack barely heard the Doctor, his voice was so low as he admitted defeat. He buried his face against Jack's chest.

"Yes, you can Doctor. You are the strongest, sexiest Time Lord I know." Jack informed him as he kissed the Doctor on the forehead softly. Jack held the Doctor as the Doctor began to shake. This time it wasn't from pain though, but from the tears that escaped, wetting Jack's shirt. Jack stroked the back of his head, running his fingers through the Doctor's hair.

"It's all right, just let it all out." Jack whispered to the Doctor. Jack saw movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up slightly to see Martha returning. She paused in the doorway though rather then entering the room.

'I'll come back,' she mouthed to him, before disappearing out of the doorway. Jack continued to hold the Doctor until he had cried himself out and then clung to Jack like a lost child. Even though Jack knew that Martha was nearby and they still needed to make sure the Doctor was all right and that the baby was safe, Jack didn't have the heart to move him. Not yet.


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor didn't help and barely reacted besides a low moan as Jack picked him up and transferred him to the bed with wheels. They took him through to the medi-bay. He laid there and stared at the wall not saying anything. Jack hated to see the Doctor so defeated. He knew that if the Doctor was going to survive the pregnancy then he needed to fight, but all the will to fight had left him with the most recent pains. Jack watched on as Martha ran a head to toe MRI scan to check for any clots or anything else of concern. Thankfully the test came back negative.

"I stand by my initial statement that it is just your body adjusting and making room for the baby. I don't want you on complete bed rest but I do want you to take it easy. Light exercise and make sure you are getting plenty of water. Not just tea but water. I am also going to give you an oral pain killer you can take but I don't want to keep you on the injection one." Martha told the Doctor as he stared at nothing. Whether or not he heard her, Martha wasn't sure. Jack was sitting next to him though and Jack nodded his understanding.

"You can take him back to bed in your room, when you are ready Jack. He doesn't need to be in here." Martha advised Jack.

"I just need to take care of something first." Jack informed her as he stepped out of the medi-bay. He headed straight off of the TARDIS and out into the hub. He stopped the Welshman reading papers over by the hub computers and quickly hurried over to him.

"Ianto I need a personal favor." Jack announced as he walked over.

"Anything Sir," Ianto set the papers down on the desk and turned to look at Jack.

"I want to do something romantic for the Doctor. I was thinking a candle lit dinner next to the water." Jack suggested.

"I will set it up. Any food suggestions?" Ianto wondered as he stood.

"Surprise me." Jack stepped forward and took the young man in his arms giving him a tight hug. "Thank you Ianto."

"Anytime Sir," Ianto answered as he hugged Jack back briefly and then headed up and out of the hub. Jack on the other hand went back into the TARDIS and straight to the medi-bay. The Doctor wasn't there and so Jack headed to their room. He found the Doctor laying on their bed. The same vacant expression was on his face as he stared up at the ceiling. Jack climbed onto the bed next to him and the Doctor rolled over cuddling close to Jack and burying his face against Jack's chest. Jack gently fingered around the bruise on the Doctor's arm and then lifted it, kissing the bruise softly.

"I was thinking of names for the baby." Jack commented as he moved his hand to caress the Doctor's head. "I knew a beautiful girl when I was younger named, *click click*." Jack snapped his tongue against the roof of his mouth twice for her name. The Doctor didn't react and so Jack continued his story. "She was beautiful. Oh Doc, you would have loved her. She was tall, almost seven feet and muscular. With long flowing light blue hair against her darker blue skin. She also only had to shave her beard about once a week. I was later told that the name *click click* was a boy's name which explained the p.."

"Jack," The Doctor finally moaned, interrupting him. Jack looked down with a smile on his face and humor in his eyes. He kept smiling when he saw the Doctor staring up at him looking slightly exasperated. He kissed the Doctor's bruised arm again.

"So what do you want to name the baby?" Jack wondered.

"I call her, Kui'la," the Doctor whispered.

"She's going to need a name though. We can call her Kui'la if you want but it might get confusing." Jack told him.

"You didn't want to pick out names." The Doctor sat up slightly so that he was looking at Jack.

"If you want to pick out names, then I want to. I am sorry I have made you feel sick and alone, rather then wanted and loved. Everything has been about keeping you and the baby healthy. I haven't really focused on what you want recently." Jack sat up and took the Time Lord's hands.

"I haven't thought about names." The Doctor dropped his eyes towards the bed and Jack took his chin, lifting it to look in him in the eyes. He knew the look, the Doctor got it whenever he didn't want to talk about something.

"What name have you decided on?" Jack questioned him.

"Imogen Arkytior Harkness." The Doctor's voice was low as he said it but firm. He stared at Jack and Jack hated the pleading look in the Doctor's eyes. He hated the Doctor was worried that he would be mad that he had put so much thought into their child. Jack kicked himself mentally for being selfish enough to stop him. Regardless of whether or not their daughter survived the womb, she was still their child. She deserved a name.

"Are you sure you want to name her after your granddaughter?" Jack questioned, recognizing the middle name. The first time he had ever heard it, was the Doctor screaming for her as he tossed and turned in a nightmare. The Doctor had been reluctant to talk about her at first but he had finally admitted it was his granddaughter Susan's name before they came to earth.

"Yes."

"Then I love the name." Jack responded, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and read the message. *Dinner in one hour.* He put his phone away as the Doctor tried to lean over and read the screen. "It's a surprise. Now shower, get dressed and meet me in the hub."

"Jack I'm still sore." The Doctor complained, though his eyes were lit up with curiosity. In the end the curiosity won out, and he squirmed off the bed and made his was gingerly towards the shower. Jack waited until he had closed the door behind him before getting dressed himself. Rather then head up to the hub though he waited for the Doctor to emerge from the shower, in case he needed help. He was rewarded for his patience, by a naked dripping wet Time Lord exiting the loo. Jack felt himself growing hard and reached down to adjust himself. It was not the time to throw the Doctor on to the bed and take him roughly like Jack wanted. That was going to have to wait now until the Doctor wasn't so sore. Jack just hoped it would be soon.

"I thought you were going to the hub." The Doctor questioned as he made his way over to the closet to pull out a clean suit.

"I decided to wait in case you needed help." Jack called at him. "I could help you to dry off. Though I am better at making people wet." The Doctor poked his head out of the closet, his face blushed bright red. He emerged, carrying his brown pinstriped suit and a blue shirt. He had a dark blue tie that had light blue swirls on it. When the Doctor set them down on the edge of the bed so that he could get dressed, Jack was happy to see that the Doctor was slightly hard. Jack glanced at it for a moment, before moving to help his husband dress.

They emerged out of the TARDIS, hand in hand and were greeted by Ianto wearing a black dinner suit, with a towel draped over his arm.

"Gentlemen, if you will follow me," Ianto said as he gestured at them. The Doctor looked at Jack questioningly but Jack shook his head slightly. They followed Ianto up out of the hub and across the plaza to where a small table had been set up over looking the water. The sun was just about finished setting and soon the stars would be twinkling overhead. On the table was a candle flickering softly. Jack pulled the chair out for the Doctor and allowed him to sit before sitting himself down.

"If you will excuse me, I will be right back with your drinks and appetizers." Ianto bowed to them and then headed back towards the hub.

"Jack you didn't have to." The Doctor said in awe as he looked around. They couldn't see much by the dim light, but the sound of waves crashing against the wall filled the warm night.

"I wanted to." Jack responded reaching out to take his hand. Ianto returned and set down two glasses of water for them to drink. He also had a plate of thin sliced bread with onion and cheese melted on top.

"Enjoy. Supper will be ready shortly." Ianto disappeared again. The Doctor reached out and took one of the pieces of bread. He gave it a small lick before taking a big bite. He moaned his happiness at the taste and reached out for another one before he had finished the first.

"Good?" Jack asked curiously as he took a piece for himself. He took a small bite and was surprised to find it was good. There was something on the bread besides the bread and cheese that brought all the flavors together. He finished his first and then went to take a second. He stopped though when he realized the Doctor had all ready finished four of them and was eyeing the last two greedily. Jack pushed the plate towards him. The Doctor's eyes lit up and he quickly grabbed the last two pieces before Jack could change his mind.

The two of them made small talk as they waited for the next part of the meal. For supper Ianto had chosen to serve seared fish with rice. The Doctor ate the fish but barely picked at the rice. Jack on the other hand devoured both hungrily.

By the time that dessert was served the stars were out and the Doctor was gazing up at them with longing in his eyes. For dessert Jack had coffee and the Doctor had a cup of tea as they split a banana banoffee tart. Again Jack let the Doctor have majority of it, just to see him smile. After finishing eating they sat in comfortable silence as the night began to cool. Tomorrow if the Doctor was feeling up to it, Jack decided a trip in the TARDIS to see the stars would do the Doctor some good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kui'la means love in Gallifreyan.


	13. Chapter 13

The Doctor was completely on his own in the hub for the first time since before the pregnancy had been discovered. Jack and the others had gone out on a weevil hunt, originally leaving both him and Martha behind. Martha had been called out to the field though when three injured people were found near the den. He had reassured her that he would be okay. He was a 900 year old Time Lord and he didn't need a baby sitter. He sat down in front of the monitors and kicked up his feet to watch the rift activity. That is when he felt it.

It was a small subtle fluttering feeling in his abdomen, that he almost dismissed as gas at first. Tears filled his eyes though when he realized that for the first time, he was feeling his daughter move. Happiness was quickly overwhelmed by sadness though. In as little as five weeks she could be born. He hoped beyond hope that it was longer, but it was still a possibility she would join them early. He had nothing for her though. He had no clothes, no nappies and no bottles. He had a cot that had belonged to him when he was a baby, but no blankets to cover her with. Tears began to flow faster down his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered over and over as he felt like a horrible father. He hadn't been the best father to his first three sons. He had tried but he hated the Time Lord rules and in the end his wife had taken the children from him. He had swore that given the chance he would do better and he felt as though he had with his granddaughter Susan. But now with his own child again he was a failure. Not caring about the rift computer anymore he stood up and made his way down into their room in the hub. He tucked himself in the corner of the bed and buried his face as the tears flowed faster. It was there that Jack found him.

When Jack returned to the hub, he was exhausted from working all day and was just ready to take a shower and crawl into bed with the Doctor. He had expected to see the Doctor as he entered the hub, but wasn't surprised to see the hub empty. The Doctor had been getting tired easily still and had probably gone to bed. He would go and check on him after his shower. He climbed down the ladder to his room and paused as he saw the Doctor curled up on the bed. He was shaking violently with the sobs that rocked his body.

"What's wrong sweetheart," Jack asked in concern as he sat down on the bed and placed a hand on the Doctor's back. He was shocked when the Doctor shrugged him off.

"S-s-s-she d-d-doesn't h-h-h-ave a b-b-bed," He sobbed his voice stuttering and his throat sounding raw.

"Who doesn't?" Jack asked confused.

"I-i-imogen. Y-y-you d-d-don't w-w-want h-h-her." He stuttered as his body shook harder.

"Look at me Doctor," Jack said firmly and the Doctor shook his head no, curling further into himself. Jack sighed as he placed his hand on the Doctor's shoulder and tried to turn him slightly.

"Get off of me," The Doctor screamed loudly and thrashed away from Jack, startling him. Jack backed up quickly as the Doctor curled into the pillow again. It didn't stop Jack for long though and he once again tried to pull the Doctor up.

"D-d-don't t-t-touch m-m-me," The Doctor snapped again. Jack didn't listen.

"No, now stop this nonsense. I love you and Imogen more then anything." Jack informed him as he finally got him up and into a sitting position. Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and tried handing it to the Doctor. He let it fall on the bed as he stared down. Jack took the Doctor's chin in his hand and lifted his head, to stare straight into the eyes of the Oncoming Storm.

"Leave me alone," He hissed, his voice still sounding hoarse.

"No. Now I have something I want to show you. It was going to be a surprise, but I suppose now is as good of time as any." Jack sighed and pulled the reluctant Doctor to his feet. It was a struggle the entire time, but somehow Jack managed to get the Doctor up the ladder, across the hub and to the SUV. The Doctor sat in the passenger seat, staring down. He was still crying lightly and every now and then would sniff. Jack had given up trying to talk to him though, since it was obvious the Doctor wasn't going to listen. The drive only took about a half an hour and soon they stopped outside of a small blue house.

"Out," Jack said, opening his own door. The Doctor looked at the house curiously. He didn't recognize the place and wondered why they were there. Jack came around the SUV and opened the door for him. He hesitated a moment before getting out and closing the door behind him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and then stared at Jack. Jack shook his head as he headed up the stone pathway and to the door. He pulled out a key, unlocked the door and opened it. Reaching in he flicked on the light and the Doctor looked into the home.

The floors were hardwood with rugs laid down. On one wall was a line of empty book shelves that looked out into a large couch and two arm chairs. He stepped in further to see that there was an office just to the left of the door that was already full furnished. The far corner of the room remained empty.

"I was thinking you could park the TARDIS there when you are home." Jack whispered into his ear.

"Home?" The Doctor turned to him questioningly.

"I bought this place and we have been fixing it up." Jack admitted. "There was no weevil hunt today. I needed Martha's help for something else."

"What?" The Doctor asked, not sure if he should be angry he was lied to.

"Come on I'll show you." Jack took his hand and led him up the stairs. He turned to the right and opened the first door. The Doctor looked into see the beginnings of a nursery. There was an unassembled white crib laying on the floor, with a white dresser and white rocking chair near it. The room smelled of fresh paint and the walls were a light purple color.

"Jack, I..." He trailed off.

"And this is our room." Jack said and opened the door. Inside was a king size bed that took up most of the room. It had a blue duvet that the Doctor recognized from the TARDIS. On each side of the bed was a small table and a dresser took up the wall by the window. It was what was on the bed that made the Doctor start crying again. The bed had piles of baby clothes, and blankets.

"Jack. I'm sorry..." The Doctor began but Jack cut him off with a kiss.

"Don't be." Jack said firmly and looked the Doctor straight in the eye. The Doctor nodded.

"This weekend, you and I can go shopping for the rest of things we need for Imogen. There is a guest room we can store it in until her room is ready. These items though were gifts from Martha and I." Jack explained.

"Can we stay here tonight?" The Doctor questioned.

"The kitchen is in the middle of being remolded and we don't have any clean clothes." Jack explained with a smile. "Does that mean you like it here?"

"I love it Jack. Thank you." The Doctor whispered and reached down to start unbuttoning his shirt. Taking the hint, Jack kicked the door closed and quickly removed the things off of the bed. They were going to need it. He laid the Doctor gently on the bed, kissing down his body as he helped him to finish undressing. Tenderly he rolled the Doctor up on to his side and laid behind him. 

The Doctor and Jack's bodies moved as one beneath the soft duvet. Jack had the Doctor on his side and the Doctor was moaning and responding to every touch and soft caress. Jack kept his movements slow though, not wanting to make the Doctor sorer or to accidentally hurt him. He brought the Doctor to completion and then continued to move inside him before finally following him over the edge. He bite down on the Doctor's shoulder, causing him to cry out as he spilled himself deep inside. After he continued to lay holding his husband, their bodies still joined together, enjoying the feeling of the cooler skin in his arms.

"Jack," The Doctor moaned into the pillow. He shuddered slightly when Jack gave a small lick on the spot he had bit on the Doctor's shoulder.

"Yes sweetheart?" Jack asked, kissing the back of his neck.

"When were you going to tell me about the house?" The Doctor wondered sleepily.

"Soon. I wanted the kitchen to be finished first and we were going to set up the nursery," Jack informed him.

"I want to finish the nursery." He turned his head to look at Jack. Jack kissed him softly on the lips.

"That was the original plan. We were just going to paint it and set up the furniture and then let you do the rest." Jack reassured him and the Doctor relaxed into his arms again. "Are you sure you would rather not go back to the hub?"

"No, I'm comfortable." The Doctor sighed.

"All right we can stay here tonight." Jack gave in. He finally pulled himself out of the Doctor and the Doctor turned over to face him. He took his husband in his arms and kissed him deeply, as he put his leg over the Doctor to pin him in place. The Doctor didn't mind though and as soon as Jack broke the kiss, he curled his head under Jack's chin to sleep. Jack kissed the Doctor on the top of the head and soon followed him.

The next morning, Jack woke bright and early. Since they had no clean clothes at the house, he planed to shower at the hub before the others arrived. As he tried to untangle himself from the Doctor's arms though, the Doctor had other ideas and Jack ended up only getting out of bed an hour after he should have already been to work. He ran to the store and picked up a few things for the Doctor to eat, before leaving him as he finally headed to work. The builders were set to arrive and finish the kitchen that morning and the Doctor promised, with a mischievous glint in his eye, that he would stay out of their way. Jack on the other hand promised that he would pick up the Doctor later in the afternoon so that he could move the TARDIS to their home.

The Doctor heard the men arrive but rather go down and greet them he retreated quickly into the babies room, feeling anxious. Worried filled him that they weren't actually there to finish the kitchen but to take his daughter from him. He told himself that he was being silly but he couldn't shake the feeling. He pulled out his sonic and tried to distract himself by building the crib. It was simple with the sonic and he had it done in no time. He looked around the room, he was feeling hungry but he couldn't bring himself to leave the safety of the small room. He felt his pockets and found he didn't have his phone either. He had no way of contacting Jack and at the moment that is all he wanted.

He crept slowly towards the door, making sure to keep his footsteps light. When he reached the door, he opened it slowly and peeked out before rushing across the hall and into their room. Closing and locking the door behind him. He hurried over to the bedside table and found his phone. He flipped it open and started to call Jack. Changing his mind he closed it before the phone even connected. He was being silly. The Doctor wondered what new was wrong with him as he sat down on the bed and found a banana. He opened it and took a large bite. The banana did little to comfort him but he felt better with food in his stomach. He quickly ate two more before feeling full.

"Did you like the purple walls Papa picked out for your room Kui'la," the Doctor whispered looking towards his stomach. He felt a small flutter and he smiled. Laying back he lifted his shirt and placed his hand on his stomach. "Daddy was worried you wouldn't have a bed, but Papa had a room being made for you and Auntie Martha bought you clothes and blankets." He continued to feel the fluttering and he closed his eyes and tried to reach her telepathically. He wasn't surprised though when he couldn't connect. She was too little still.

"That's okay Imogen, we will try again when you are bigger. Papa isn't telepathic and Daddy couldn't connect properly until he was almost three. The other Time Lords thought I was a disgrace. They wouldn't be happy that you were half human either Kui'la. They would frown upon you, if they were still around." He paused and thought about it for a second. "Though I suppose if they were around, I would have never married your Papa."

The thought saddened him, but it was true. If the Time Lords were still around, he would have never sought Jack's comfort after Donna. He would have just returned to Gallifrey and found what little comfort he could there. His mother would have welcomed him with open arms, even if his father had taken to disappearing during his visits. He could have even just walked under the orange sky and enjoyed the feeling of the twin suns on his face and the red grass beneath his feet. He grew teary at the thought of his lost planet and wiped both hands down his face. He shook his head and sat up. He didn't want to cry again.

"Let's see what Auntie bought." He smiled as he headed over to the clothes. He was pleased to see that all of the clothes were simple and either plain colored or had simple designs. None of them had cartoon characters, which he would have just discarded. He folded the clothes and put them into her room. Afterwards he was bored. The men were still working downstairs and he had nothing to do. He crept quietly down the stairs and peeked around the corner, the men were still working in the kitchen and so he let himself into Jack's office. Jack had locked the door but apparently forgotten about the sonic. Feeling mischievous the Doctor locked the door behind him as he settled down in front of Jack's computer. Jack had already linked the computer with Torchwood and it took all of a few keystrokes to access the information.

-DW-

Jack was sitting in his office working diligently. He wanted to get his work done so that he could go and get the Doctor before he caused any trouble. He cursed though when alarms began to sound through the hub. He was halfway out of his chair, when his door flew open.

"Jack there has been a security breech in the Torchwood computers." Ianto announced out of breath as he rushed into Jack's office. Jack turned to his computer and began to type quickly, ready to block the hacker. He stopped and sighed though when he found where the information was coming from. "It's the Doctor." He informed Ianto as he picked up his phone and called the Doctor's cell. The phone rang and went to voicemail twice before the Doctor finally answered it.

"What are you doing to my computers sweetheart?" Jack asked patiently.

"I was bored so I decided to upgrade your security." The Doctor replied.

"And cause a security breech here that has locked down the rift computer." Jack's voice was still steady but it rose a little.

"Oops, let me fix that." The line went quiet for a few moments and the alarms went quiet. "There, I have restored the original settings."

"Thank you. Now if you can behave for a little while longer I will be there shortly to pick you up so you can retrieve the TARDIS." Jack stood up and headed around his desk to grab his coat.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor apologized, though he didn't sound sorry at all. Jack sighed.

"I am on my way now." He hung up the phone and rushed to the SUV. Hopefully he could get to the Doctor before he caused anymore trouble. Jack returned to their new home to find the builders were still inside. He hoped the Doctor wasn't bugging them to badly. He wanted the kitchen finished and to have a shed built in the back yard, then their home would be completed besides minor touches they could do themselves. He let himself into the house and stopped off at his office first. The door was locked. Pulling out his key, he placed it in the lock and tried to turn the key. The door didn't budge. Jack knocked on it softly.

"Sweetheart, it's me," he called through the door. A moment later he heard the buzz of the sonic and the lock clicked. He tried the handle again and this time the door opened allowing him access to the room. The Doctor was still sitting behind his computer and was typing quickly, his eyes darting around the screen.

"I want those men out of my house," The Doctor informed him without looking up from his work.

"They will be once they finish the kitchen." Jack responded as he stepped further into the room. He still wanted the shed built but if the men were making the Doctor uncomfortable, he could build the shed with Ianto and Mickey on a weekend. "How about you get to a stopping point on whatever you are working on, then we can go to the hub. When we get back I am sure they will be gone."

"Is Martha still there?" The Doctor asked casually.

"Yes, and she informed me that you had an appointment with her today. Not showing up at the hub is just going to delay the examination, but not stop it." Jack watched the Doctor's face fall. "She also wanted you to know that she has a surprise for you waiting at the hub."

"I don't want to." The Doctor whined.

"I know sweetheart, but it is necessary. She wants to make sure that both of you are comfortable with what is going on with the pregnancy and to plan for the birth." Jack explained, kneeling down next to the Doctor. "We need to make sure that you remain healthy, so that Imogen stays in the womb for as long as possible. We can't do that if you avoid your appointments."

"I know." The Doctor sighed loudly. As much as he wanted to be pregnant for as long as possible to give Imogen the best chance, he just wanted the pregnancy to be over. He wanted his body to be his own again and not the scrutiny of appointments, ultrasounds and exams. As if she could read his thoughts he felt Imogen move and he smiled as he placed a hand on his stomach.

"What?" Jack asked curiously.

"She moved." The Doctor whispered in awe.

"Is that the first time you felt her?" Jack wondered as he laid a hand over the Doctors. He was hoping that he would be able to feel her movements too, but he knew from past experience that she was too small at the moment. With the worry she was going to be born early, Jack wondered if he would ever get the chance to feel her move before they greeted her.

"No, I felt her yesterday too." The Doctor responded. It made sense to Jack now. He knew why he had found the Doctor crying about her not having a bed. He wondered what had brought on the Doctor's breakdown yesterday, but was waiting until the right time to ask. Though when that time would be, Jack didn't know. It would have more then likely became one of those situations where they just had sex and moved on. The sex didn't resolve anything, it just pushed the problem behind them and became forgotten. Though the times it did rare its head again, the fight was usually worse then the previous.

During one of their worst fights, Jack had stormed out on the Doctor The Doctor in turn had left Jack in the hub for three days before returning to his side. He had only returned though for help with a mauve alert on the edge of a planet that had been at war for centuries. Jack agreed to help and the two of them had set off quietly. The mauve alert had turned out to be a trap. The colonies had ended their fighting years before due to an unknown virus that had killed off majority of the population. The ones who had lived had seen it as a sign from above and started to sacrifice off worlders to appease the Gods. Jack and the Doctor had barely escaped with their lives and the Doctor had been hurt during the escape. If Jack hadn't been there to get him out, he shuddered still to think what would have happened to his husband. To this day Jack, really didn't remember what the original fight had been about. He was just thankful that the Doctor had still trusted him enough to seek his assistance before diving into trouble.

"Come on then, lets go to the hub." Jack stood, shaking his head slightly to clear it of the memories. He offered the Doctor his hand and the Doctor took it, allowing Jack to pull him to his feet. Jack wrapped his arm around the Doctor and brought their lips together in a soft kiss. The Doctor responded in kind, they kissed for a moment, before Jack pulled back to look the Doctor in the eyes.

"Ready?"

"Yes," the Doctor responded, grabbing his coat on the way out the door.

-DW-

As usual once the Doctor's appointment was over, he was in a foul mood. Martha made it a little better by giving him several jars of homemade banana butter. Though she also let him know she wasn't going to bribe him to get him to his appointments each week. She expected him to show because he cared about the baby. He remained in a foul mood as he moved the TARDIS to their home and found the builders were still there. Thankfully they were cleaning up though and would be gone within the hour. It didn't make the Time Lord any happier though and he retreated up the stairs, closing and locking their bed room door behind him. Jack hoped silently that he wouldn't eat all the jars of his treat tonight.

Ianto arrived with the SUV and once the men were gone, Jack and Ianto went shopping for groceries. Normally when they shopped for food, it was only for a meal that either, he or the Doctor had planned to make. Jack though wanted to make sure that the house was well stocked for any strange cravings the Doctor may have, so he and Ianto spent hours buying everything they might need. After he dropped Ianto off at his flat, Jack returned to their home with the SUV loaded down with food. He entered to find that the Doctor had been busy in his absence and had filled one of the bookshelves in the living room. The said Time Lord was now sound asleep on the couch. His glasses were askew on his face and a book laid opened across his stomach.

Jack didn't have the heart to wake him, so instead he remained quiet as he brought all the food in and began to put it away. He filled the cupboards and fridge as well as the freezer. Pleased with himself he looked out on the Doctor, before starting to cook their first meal in their new home. He was about half way through cooking when the sleepy man came wandering into the kitchen.

"Tea?" The Doctor asked hopefully.

"Always." Jack pulled the kettle off of the stove and poured a glass for him, as the Doctor took a seat at the table. Jack sat it down and gave the Doctor a peck on the forehead.

"You feel warm," Jack informed him in concern. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel sick, but you don't need to contact Martha, I just need more sleep." The Doctor looked at Jack as he rubbed the back of his neck. Jack could see the pleading in the Doctor's eyes as he stared at him.

"All right, but if you aren't feeling better in the morning, I am calling her." Jack warned him and the Doctor nodded. "Are you feeling up to supper, or do you want to just go to be?"

"I'll eat," The Doctor replied, not wanting the meal Jack was making to go to waste. It smelled delicious, even if the smell was making him slightly queasy. Jack finished cooking and set a plate of chicken and pasta in front of him. The Doctor took one look at the food and he felt his stomach flip. He barely made it to the trash bin before losing the contents of his stomach.

"Sorry," he moaned as he gagged again.

"Its all right sweetheart, I'm not mad." Jack reassured him. "It will keep overnight and we can have it tomorrow. Now let's get you up to bed."

"My pajamas?" The Doctor wondered.

"I will get them out of the TARDIS." Jack cleaned up and put the food away before heading to the TARDIS for the Doctor's pajamas. He took them up to the Doctor. The Doctor changed and then climbed into bed. Jack kissed him goodnight before heading down to the kitchen to finish the dishes and cleaning up. Once done with the cleaning he grabbed a book and headed back to bed. He didn't need to sleep tonight but with his husband feeling sick, he knew that he would want to cuddle. Sure enough as soon as Jack climbed into bed, the Doctor rolled over and wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, using his thigh as a pillow. Jack looked down into the sleepy sad eyes and opened the book to the first page. He began to read softly out loud as he hoped silently the Doctor felt better in the morning.

When the Doctor awoke the next morning though, his fever was higher and he was sick to his stomach again. His hips were sore again but he couldn't keep anything down long enough to take the pain killer. He put up little fight as Jack climbed out of bed and called Martha. He just laid slumped against the pillows looking at Jack as though he had been betrayed. Martha arrived quickly and checked him over as Jack waited outside of their room.

"How long have you felt sick?" She asked as she listened to his twin hearts.

"Since yesterday?"

"In difficulties in swallowing or breathing?" she questioned.

"No." He answered truthfully.

"What about urinating?" He looked away from her. "Doctor?"

"It burns." He replied in a voice barely above a whisper.

"You may just have a urinary tract infection but with the vomiting and fever, I am worried it could also be your kidneys. I want you to come down to the TARDIS and we can run test to find out." Martha stood and put her medical supplies back in her bag. She stood and went over to the door to wait for him. The Doctor made his way slowly to his feet, but rather then head to the door, he headed to the bathroom. Closing the door behind him, Martha heard the sound of the sonic whirl and the door lock clicked.

"Doctor open the door," She called patiently from the outside.

"No, run your test without me," he called back. Martha shook her head as she went to get Jack.


	14. Chapter 14

Jack sat with his back rested against the bathroom door. He had been outside the door since Martha had informed him that the Doctor had locked himself in. She had explained that the Doctor had a possible kidney infection and it was important to get him down to the TARDIS to be sure. The Doctor on the other hand had refused to budge. Jack decided to give the Doctor some space. He had let the Doctor know he was there, but other wise had remained silent. A few times Jack had heard him getting sick, but for the most part the Time Lord remained quiet as well.

"Come on Doctor, come out and talk to me." Jack finally called through the door. In reply to his call he heard the water in the tub start and stay on. He sighed as Martha came and sat on the edge of the bed.

"He's still not coming out?" She questioned.

"No." Jack hit the back of his head against the door. "He is being stubborn.

"If it is his kidneys Jack it is a serious issue and I need to get him on antibiotics as soon as possible." Martha informed Jack.

"So an IV?"

"Since he is unable to hold a pill down due to getting sick, it will have to be administered intravenously." Martha replied.

"Then it is no wonder he is not coming out. He is a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. He knows the consequences of being sick and has chosen to hide instead. I will try again to get him out and to talk to him." Jack stood up and stretched his aching muscles. He heard the water turn off. He knocked softly on the door.

"Doctor," he called out. "If you let me in I could sit with you in the bath and wash your back. I could also massage your back if you wanted." He paused and a moment later he heard the door lock click. Jack turned to look at Martha. *Wait in the living room.* he mouthed as he opened the door. Martha nodded and headed downstairs to wait for them. Jack walked in and saw the Doctor was sitting in the middle of the tub. He had his knees drawn up and his face was tear stained. Broken hearted, Jack undressed and then climbed into the tub behind him. The water was extremely cool but Jack still didn't say a word. The Doctor leaned his warm body back against him and Jack wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly. Jack began to hum softly, a song from his childhood.

He never could remember the words to the song he hummed, but he knew the tune for as long as he could remember. His mother would hum it as she washed the dishes and cleaned the house during the day. When he had asked her about it as a child she only told him it was a song she had learned from her mother. The song spoke of a lonely traveler who found peace after traveling among the stars. After meeting the Doctor, Jack had wondered if it was about him, but he could never remember enough of the words to be sure. He finished humming and then spoke up.

"Why are we hiding?" Jack asked.

"I wanted a bath." The Doctor answered softly.

"Doctor," Jack drew out his name and the Doctor sighed loudly.

"I don't want to spend the next few days in the TARDIS medi-bay with an IV in my arm." He finally admitted.

"So you agree that it is your kidneys?" Jack wondered.

"Yes."

"Then you need to take care of yourself and let us take care of you." Jack explained.

"I am sick of being taken care of." He muttered so softly that Jack almost missed it.

"It's only for a few more months sweetheart." Jack whispered kissing the Doctor on the back of the head.

"Then for six more months after that, unless my potassium levels don't stabilize. Then she would like me to continue to see her every two weeks until they do. I would rather regenerate." He complained.

"Don't say that."

"I hate this body Jack." The Doctor chocked on a sob and tried to slide forward, but Jack stopped him. He continued to hold the Doctor tightly against him.

"You love this body and so do I. Even if you regenerate I will continue to love you, but just because you are sick and miserable now, it is no reason to give up. You need to continue to fight sweetheart." Jack informed him softly. The Doctor shuddered and a louder sob escaped.

"I'm going to be sick," He moaned and Jack let him go. The Doctor hurried out of the tub and bent over the toilet as he tried to empty his stomach again. Jack in the mean time pulled the plug to let the water out and grabbed a towel. He placed it on the Doctor's back and gently began drying him as he heaved into the toilet. After the Doctor's stomach was empty, he stood shakily and dressed. Jack dried off quickly and pulled on his trousers. As the Doctor left the loo, he headed straight towards their bed. Jack placed a gently hand on his shoulder and directed him towards the door and down the stairs.

"Martha," Jack called out as they passed through the living room. Martha set the book she was reading down and followed them on to the TARDIS.

"I am going to need a urine sample to confirm the diagnosis before we start you on antibiotics." She informed the Doctor as she followed them into the medi-bay. The Doctor glared at her but headed into the loo aboard the TARDIS. Jack was relieved when he didn't hear the door lock right away. The Doctor groaned loudly from inside though and when he emerged a few moments later, his face was still distorted in pain. He stumbled as he stepped out and would have face planted if Jack hadn't been there to catch him. Jack scooped him up and kissed the Doctor softly as he carried him over to the bed. He laid the Time Lord on the bed and covered him with one of the blankets. The Doctor slumped against the pillows defeated.

"I will just take this to the lab." Martha advised them as she came out of the loo carrying a cup. She disappeared into the lab.

"I am going to get you a glass of water and a bucket." Jack said as he squeezed the Doctor's hand.

"Thank you." The Doctor whispered as he closed his eyes. He was tired and he let the exhaustion wash over him as he drifted off to sleep. He didn't know how long he was out for though before he was awoken by Jack.

"Come on sleepyhead. Open your eyes." Jack cooed at the Doctor. The Time Lord opened his eyes a crack still feeling miserable. He just wanted to drift back to sleep and contemplated closing his eyes again as he lay against the pillows.

"Hi," he mumbled.

"Now Martha needs to talk to you and then you can go back to sleep all right." He nodded as he rolled his eyes to look at Martha. She was standing near the edge of the bed and he could see an IV had all ready been hung up beside the bed. He groaned and looked back towards Jack as he let his eyes drift shut again.

"Are you listening Doctor?" Martha asked nicely, but using her stern medical voice.

"Yes." He opened his eyes a crack and stared at Jack. Jack took his hand and held it, reassuring the Doctor.

"Good, the TARDIS has confirmed that you do have a kidney infection. Luckily we caught it early and it will be easily treated with antibiotics. Now since you are too sick to keep a pill down at the moment, I will be administering the drugs intravenously."

"For how long." he groaned as she took his hand. She swabbed clean a place on his arm for the needle.

"Until you can keep fluids down. Afterwards we can switch to an oral antibiotic for three weeks." Martha advised him. She carefully inserted the needle for the IV into his arm and then taped it in place. "There now leave that in. I want you to try to drink something but if you want to just go back to sleep that is fine as well. The IV will make sure you stay hydrated. Later on today though, I want to perform an ultrasound on your kidneys to make sure there are no complications that we can't detect through the urine analysis."

"Fine," He mumbled as he started to drift off again. He heard Martha walk off and Jack whisper something about him needing to fight, but he could have been dreaming.

-DW-

The kidney infection, though minor was just the beginning. Martha came to realize over the next month why very few Time Lord men were able to successfully carry the child to term. It seemed as though she would just get the Doctor started back on the road to recovery when he would be knocked on his butt again by another problem. He spent more time in the medi-bay then in their home for the next month and Martha spent almost all of her time taking care of him. Twice she feared during the month that they were going to lose the baby. Both times she had managed to save the fetus but the second time it had been a close call. It had taken longer then ever before to find the baby's heartbeats and verify that she was still alive.

With the Doctor so sick though, when Martha demanded he go on full bed rest, he didn't argue. He didn't have the strength or the will power to fight her on it anymore. It was almost if he knew entering the medi-bay for his kidneys would begin a downward spiral that would end with him losing his life. She wasn't going to let that happen though. She was going to fight to keep him alive.

Jack remained constantly by his side and the everyday running of Torchwood was turned over to Ianto. Jack didn't know when he would be able to return to work, but he wasn't going to leave the Doctor's side while he was so sick. He sat by the Doctor and caressed his head. He read to him and changed his IV's over while Martha slept. Above all he hoped. He hoped silently to whatever was out there that the Doctor would recover.

On days when the Doctor was more aware and awake, Jack would help him pick out baby items on the internet to have delivered to their home. It wasn't the same as being able to go to the shops for them, but made the Doctor feel a little better that he was able to contribute to his daughter's needs. Martha had gone out and purchased formula and bottles as well as a few other essentials that she knew they would need. Though that one outing was rare for her and when she was directly attending to the Doctor she had taken to reading all the information she could find on premature births. Near the end of the month Jack exited the TARDIS to find Martha sitting at the table crying.

"What's the matter Martha," he asked though she looked as exhausted as he felt.

"I need help Jack. There is too much to do on my own once the baby is born. I can't take care of her and the Doctor without help." She informed him, her voice low and defeated. Jack poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down in front of her.

"I can help, though I don't know how much help I will be when it is my husband and daughter on the line." Jack admitted as he took a sip of his coffee. "Is there anyone we can trust? I am more worried about bringing someone in from the outside and them inadvertently killing them or worse."

"I could contact UNIT, he use to work there and they know he is an alien. I am sure they could send one of their medical personal over to assist." Martha pleaded with Jack.

"You also use to work there and I want you to make sure they send someone you also know and trust. If worse comes to worse, we can retcon them after, but in the meantime, I have to know they will follow your orders." Jack let her know.

"I will call them today and try to get someone sent out, even if I have to go to the Brigadeer." Martha pulled her phone out. "I will be honest with you Jack, if his health doesn't improve within the next two weeks, we will need to perform a c-section before it is to late."

"Will she survive?"

"She will be 22 weeks along by then. It is not ideal in the least, but yes she will stand a chance." Martha admitted. "She will just require a lot of care and there are life long health problems that she may have. Though when it comes to the choice between both of them living or dying, it isn't much of a choice."

"No, you are right it's not." Jack replied. He stood up and picked up his coffee as he headed back to the TARDIS. The Doctor was still laying limp against the pillows where Jack had left him. Electrodes were hooked to his chest and a fetal heart beat monitor strapped to the small bulge on his stomach. He looked pale and like he had lost more weight. He opened his eyes a crack and gave Jack a tired smile as he came back into the room.

"Hi sweetheart." Jack kissed him softly.

"Hello," The Doctor's voice though cheerful sounded soft. He coughed and Jack helped him to sit up slightly, before fixing the pillows so he was sitting up more. "Jack, promise me that you will take care of her."

"Don't talk like that. You are going to be fine." Jack hissed softly, as he eyes filled with tears.

"Promise me." The Doctor said again as he closed his eyes.

"I promise," Jack whispered.

-DW-

Martha fought and argued UNIT for hours before she got them to agree to send someone down on loan to Torchwood. She managed to get a doctor she had worked with before name Otis, who had studied prenatal care before joining UNIT. He arrived at the house the next morning and Martha gave him a crash course in Time Lord biology and what to expect for Imogen. She showed him around the TARDIS medi-bay and introduced him to Jack and the Doctor. Jack was pleased they had sent someone and the Doctor just stared at him wearily as Martha and Otis set to work.

It was in the middle of the night, less then two weeks later, when the Doctor's health took a turn for the worse. They nearly lost him and had no choice but to perform a life saving c-section and remove Imogen from the womb. They kept the Doctor partly awake, numbing him so they could perform the surgery. Jack was there to assist and when he saw how tiny and frail his daughter was, he didn't understand how she would even stand a chance. They tried desperately to get her to breath, but she didn't seem to have the strength.

"Let me see her," came the broken, slow reply from the Doctor. Not knowing what else to do Martha nodded and brought the tiny infant around to him. His hand glowed as he placed his hand on her back. "Kui'la," he whispered. His hand went limp as her chest began to rise and fall slowly. The heart monitor showed that his hearts had stopped beating. She handed the baby off to Otis as she began to try desperately to save the Doctor's life.


	15. Chapter 15

Jack felt as though his world was crashing down around him. On one side of the medi-bay a man he barely knew, and didn't really trust for that matter, was working frantically but efficiently to save their daughter. A baby that should have still been in the womb growing. He looked towards the Doctor as Martha called out to him. It seemed like life was moving in slow motion as she handed him an ambu bag as she began CPR. Jack stood and took the bag from her and placed it over the Doctor's mouth and nose, breathing for the Doctor as Martha worked to restart his hearts.

"Come on Doctor," Martha yelled at him then cursed. She gave him an injection of adrenaline and then making a decision she focused on his left heart. As she grabbed the paddles, Jack stood back. Martha placed them to start the Doctor's heart and silently said a prayer. She shocked him and the monitor blipped once and then fell again. She turned to set them higher, when it blipped again.

"Come back to us," Jack pleaded. He watched as the lines on the screen picked up speed but the Doctor still wasn't breathing on his own and his right heart was still stopped. Martha didn't hesitate as she grabbed the ventilation tube. She tilted the Doctor's head back slightly as she inserted the scope, followed by the tube.

"You're not going to give him a chance to breathe on his own?" Jack wondered as he watched.

"No, he is losing a lot of blood into his stomach and I need to go in now to stop the bleeding before it is to late. I am going to sedate him further and I am sorry Jack but I will need your help after all." Martha commented as she worked.

"Anything," Jack responded as he grabbed a bag of blood and hung it from the IV stand. He tried not to think about the fact that it was his husband as he stepped up to the bed to assist Martha.

-DW-

Jack sat in the medi-bay. He was exhausted but he wasn't going to sleep, not yet. His eyes burned with unshed tears, but he refused to cry. He had to remain strong for his family. They didn't know when the Doctor was going to wake up and Jack wasn't going to let the Doctor find him crying. The Doctor was laying pale on the next to him. The Doctor was still hooked to a ventilator that was breathing for him, his left heart was beating, while his right remained stopped. Both arms had IV's giving him blood, nutrition and medicine. Electrodes lined his chest. His stomach, just above his groin had a bandage hiding the staples that closed the incision. He would never be able to have children again in this body and for that Jack was relieved, though he didn't know how the Doctor would take it once he woke up. If he woke up.

Jack looked to his other side. A little further down, Imogen was in the incubator asleep. Whatever the Doctor had done to her worked. She was still going to need a lot of help, but she was alive. It was hard to look at her though, she was so tiny and had wires and tubes hooked to her small body. They had put a diaper on her that covered most of her back. She was anemic according to Otis and they were going to have to give her iron. He was hoping they could avoid a blood transfusion but it was still a possibility down the line.

Martha was still in the room as well, sitting near the incubator, monitoring Imogen for any signs that she was having trouble breathing or that she had stopped breathing. Otis had gone to get cleaned up and rest in a small room off the medi-bay. He would take the next shift while Martha rested. Jack was suppose to rest after Martha, but he didn't think he could. He couldn't leave either of them, not while they needed him. He turned back towards the Time Lord and reached out to take the Doctor's hand in his. The Doctor's hand remained limp, but still Jack held it.

"Any changes?" Jack asked, not being able to stand being silent anymore. The only noise for the last little while had been the steady beeping of the heart monitors and the ventilator breathing for the Doctor.

"No, she is the same at the moment." Martha replied. She didn't need to ask how the Doctor was. Not only could she see him, but thanks to the TARDIS technology, she also had a monitor near her, that showed all of his vitals. She was going to have to still check him here soon, but she didn't need to remain directly by his side. "I know this is difficult Jack, but neither one of them are going to show vast improvement in the next few hours. The Doctor is going to have at least a few weeks of recovery, while Imogen is gong to have a few months."

"I know." Jack sighed. He lightly brushed a stray piece of hair off of the Doctor's forehead. The Doctor's hair was starting to get a little long and would need to be cut soon. Though with all of the difficulties he had the last month, a haircut was the furthest thing from either of their minds.

Jack breathed deeply, trying to push the tears back again. He desperately wanted a drink. He had a bottle of whiskey in the TARDIS kitchen and it wouldn't take long to retrieve it. Though he wasn't going to. Regardless of how much he wanted that drink, he would never forgive himself if either the Doctor or Imogen needed him and he was to drunk to help them. Or even worse they passed on and he later couldn't remember his final moments with them. With that thought, he could no longer hold back the tears. They rolled down his checks, gathering at his chin. He placed his forehead against the Doctor's bed and stared at the ground.

"Please wake up sweetheart," he whispered.

After Otis woke up, Martha moved to check on the Doctor. His condition was remaining stable and so she wanted to try to wean him off of the ventilator. Jack took his hand as Martha checked the Doctor over before turning off the machine. For a moment the Doctor's chest remained still.

"You can do it Doctor," Jack encouraged as he waited impatiently for the Doctor to take a breath. Almost a minute passed before the Doctor seemed to realize that the machine wasn't going to breathe for him anymore and he took a small breath in. It was almost as though he was testing the air. Another twenty seconds passed before he took another, this time it was deeper and he quickly fell into a normal breathing pattern.

"Good job," Martha said happily as she placed an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. "I am going to leave the tube in for a little while, just in case he decides to stop breathing again. If there are no complications though, I think it will be safe to remove here in a while."

"He won't like it if he wakes up and has the tube down his throat." Jack commented.

"No, he won't. We will remove it if he shows any signs of waking up. For now though I want to protect his airway and be ready if he decides to stop breathing again." Martha agreed with Jack. She left the room to shower and change. Once she ate and felt more refreshed, she returned to check on her patients before going to lay down for awhile.

Returning to the Doctor's side, she first checked his blood oxygen level from the reader clipped to his finger. It was sitting about 93% which was a little lower then she had expected but not as bad as she feared. She took off his oxygen mask and then carefully removed the tube from the Doctor's throat and he gagged on it. It was a normal reaction and a good sign. Satisfied that he was still breathing on his own, Martha ran an oxygen line beneath his nose, to assist in keeping his oxygen levels up since he only had one heart still.

"When are you going to restart his heart?" Jack asked.

"After he wakes up. I don't want to accidentally interrupt his left heart while he is out and sick." Martha explained as she checked his IVs. She then moved the blanket aside to clean his catheter.

"He is really going to hate you for that." Jack commented.

"Then he needs to wake up and tell me to take it out." Martha taunted the Doctor as she continued to carefully clean it. She wasn't going to cause him any additional discomfort just for the sake of waking him. "It's staying in until you wake up, so you better hurry up." The Doctor's chest continued to rise and fall steadily and he gave no indication that he had heard her. She fixed the blankets and made notation on his chart before turning to Jack.

"I am going to sleep for two hours and then it is your turn."

"I'm not leaving him until he wakes up." Jack replied. "Otis can have another turn." Shaking her head, Martha left the medi-bay to rest. If the Doctor didn't wake up soon, she would see about getting Jack to rest on the bed next to him instead.

-DW-

The Doctor was trying to wake up, though all the drugs he had racing through his system made it hard. His mind just wanted to go back to sleep and he was tempted just to let it. The last thing he remember was Martha and Otis fighting to get his Kui'la to breathe. She was so tiny and weak though, she couldn't do it. Summoning all the energy he could he had placed his hand on her back, in an effort to heal her. Though he didn't know if it had worked. If she was gone, he didn't want to wake up. He could continue to live in his dreams where he had his family back and was walking the red grass of Gallifrey.

The only way to know if it worked though was to wake up. It took a lot of effort but he managed to force his eyes open a crack. Jack was sitting next to his bed and had been crying. His heart ached for his husband. He closed his eyes again as he realized he only had one heart beating. He mentally examined himself. Besides only having one heart, he had a pain in his stomach that was dulled by the medications. Both arms itched from IVS and he felt clammy. He couldn't keep focusing on himself though, he forced his eyes open again.

He looked towards Jack again. Out of the corner of his eye he could see and incubator. He felt relief flow through him. If she hadn't made it, they wouldn't need the incubator. He also didn't think they would be cruel enough to leave the incubator where he could see it, if it was empty. He tried to figure out how long it had been since he gave birth, but his senses were dulled. Regardless though he needed to check on her.

"Sweetheart?" Jack asked and took his hand. He squeezed it gently as the fogginess engulfed him again. He tried to keep his eyes open but they seemed heavy, so he let them close once more.

-DW-

It was almost four hours later before the Doctor showed any signs that he was waking up. Jack thought he saw the Doctor's eyes open once but they were closed again too quickly for him to be sure. The second time he saw them open, the Doctor made a deliberate move to look towards the incubator.

"Sweetheart?" Jack asked as he reached out and took the Doctor's hand. The Doctor's hand flexed a little and then went limp again as his eyes closed.

"Martha," Jack called out in concern. She left her chair by the incubator and came over to them. "He seems to be trying to wake up but he can't."

"Just keep talking to him. He has pain killers, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, among other medications in his system right now, that might be making it hard for him." She moved around to the head of the bed.

"Sweetheart, it's time to wake up." Jack cooed softly. "Martha has promised to remove at least one of the IV's if you wake up and can drink something. I know you don't like them so you should listen."

"Ja..." Came a soft sigh and Jack smiled.

"You are going to have to do better then that. Open those eyes and let me see you." Jack told him. He watched the Doctor and for a moment he though the Doctor had gone back to sleep again. Then he saw the Doctor's eyes open a tiny crack again.

"Hello!"

"Hi," he responded as he tried to force his eyes open more. His eye lids seemed heavy though and as if they didn't want to move.

"There we go. Good job. How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Imo...gen?" The Doctor asked in return not answering Jack's question.

"She is doing as well as can be expected." Jack replied.

"If you wake up, I will let you see her." Martha tried to tempt him.

"Kay," he sighed as his eyes drifted closed again. This time though his breathing evened out again and he remained asleep. Martha checked him over and then turned the oxygen up a little.

"Next time it should be easier Jack." She reassured him as she moved to sit by Imogen again. "He is awake and he was responsive, which is a positive sign."

"You're not worried then?"

"Of course I am worried. He had a high fever and was sick, gave birth, had surgery, and was in a light coma all within a forty eight hour period. He still has a long road to recovery but we both know he is a fighter. He survived the first night, he is breathing on his own and he just woke up. He still has other hurdles to cross before he is well, but I am optimistic about his recovery." Martha explained to Jack. Jack kissed the back of the Doctor's hand.

"He needs a bath," was Jack's only reply.

"You can give him a sponge bath when he wakes up again. I am sure he will appreciate it." Martha sighed.


	16. Chapter 16

By the time that the Doctor woke next, Jack was nearly falling asleep in the chair beside him. He had his head down on the Doctor's bed again and he had closed his eyes for a brief moment. He wasn't able to fall asleep though as he was still too worried about his husband and daughter to allow his mind to sleep. Martha had tried to coax him into bed but Jack argued her.

"He needs me," Jack moaned as he fought to stay away.

"He needs you to be healthy so he doesn't have to worry about you as well as Imogen. Just rest now Jack." Martha tried. Jack shook his head no as he sat up and stretched. He yawned and then reached for his cooling cup of coffee. Martha thought briefly about putting a sedative into it, but was glad she didn't when the Doctor showed signs that he was waking up again. The Doctor moaned slightly and his grip on Jack's hand tightened for a brief moment. Jack gripped his hand back.

"Sweetheart, if you wake up you can have a nice cuppa and see Imogen," Jack suggested softly as he reached out to stroke the Doctor's head with his other hand. The Doctor felt warm still to the touch and Jack wondered how long it was going to be before his fever finally broke. He wondered if the Doctor was getting an infection again, but with all the antibiotics in his system it was unlikely.

"Jack?" He questioned, sounding clearer then the last time.

"Hello." Jack smiled and leaned up to gently kiss the Doctor on the cheek as his eyes opened. He opened them fully this time and not just the half slits he had managed the last time.

"Imogen?" The immediate next question exited his mouth.

"She is still holding her own." Martha answered and gestured towards the incubator. It was hard to see inside of it from his angle on the bed, but he thought he saw a tiny red back inside. He was going to have to get a closer look as soon as possible. He looked towards the monitors and was unhappy to see his own information reflected back at him. He didn't need the monitor to tell him how sick he felt.

"How is she?" He asked as he turned back towards Martha.

"She is still breathing well on her own, and we have her on oxygen to assist her breathing. She is unable to suckle yet though so she is being fed intravenously. She is anemic and receiving iron and she also is receiving additional potassium for her Time Lord energy. She has survived the first day which is positive." Martha explained to them, realizing the Doctor was aware enough, that simple answers were no longer going to satisfy him.

"Will she have any disabilities?" Jack asked softly. He had read about all of the problems extremely early babies could have and it made him even more worried for their daughter.

"She may, it is too early to tell. It is more likely in early babies but not a guarantee." Martha replied not wanting to lie to either one of them.

"We can help her." The Doctor informed Jack as he squeezed Jack's hand again. Jack smiled at the Doctor and he smiled back weakly. "Jack mentioned tea?"

"Yes, you can have tea. I would like it though, if you had a few sips of water first." Martha poured him a small amount of water in to a glass and then placed a straw in the glass. She held it and he rolled his eyes but drained the water. "There now I will make you a cuppa in a few minutes. First I want to know how you are feeling."

"My heart is stopped." He complained and Martha couldn't help but smile this time. The fact that he was complaining meant that he was doing better.

"I wanted to wait and restart until you woke up. I was worried it would disrupt your left heart, but now that you are awake if you think it is safe, we can restart it."

"Please," He tried to sit up slightly but Martha placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Let Jack help you to sit up. You have staples just above your groin holding the incision closed and I don't want you to pull on them." Martha advised him in her professional tone. He nodded and then allowed Jack to help him sit up slightly. "Is there a better way to restart your heart then thumping you?

"This is the easiest way," He replied bracing himself against Jack.

"Ready?" Martha asked and he nodded. She thumped him on the chest and then on the back.

"Again," He hissed and she did it once more. She pulled out her stethoscope as he breathed a sigh of relief. Both hearts were going and the left was still keeping its rhythm. He sagged slightly in Jack's arms and Jack gently eased him backwards onto the bed. He rested there for a moment with his eyes closed and Martha worried that he had passed out. She checked his oxygen levels and then went to check his pupil response, when he eyes opened again.

"Much better," He sighed as he moved the blankets away.

"Where are you going?" Martha asked him impatiently.

"To see Imogen." He replied looking confused. He thought it was obvious.

"Great idea, except for the fact you are hooked to oxygen, electrodes, IV's and have a catheter." Martha advised him a little sarcastically. He frowned at her as she moved the blanket back over him. "How about I turn the incubator so you can see her better and then you can remain in bed while I get you the cuppa. Afterwards, you are going to submit to a physical and then we can discuss when you are going to be able to get out of bed."

He opened his mouth as though he were going to protest and she spoke again before he could. "I will even move one of the monitors closer so you can monitor while you are stuck in bed."

"All right," He agreed, realizing she was being generous and going against her medical training to keep him involved. With how sick he was still, he should have just been resting and relying on them. The fact she was letting him be involved was only because of their friendship. He watched as she went over to the incubator and turned it at a slight angle, being careful not to pull any of the cords. The Doctor looked in on his small fragile daughter for the first time since she had been born. She seemed even tinier in the incubator then she had in Martha's arms. She was asleep of course and her tiny chest rose and fell with every breath. He watched it mesmerized. He didn't even notice when Martha returned with his cuppa until she gently tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Thank you," He said softly as he pulled his eyes away from his Kui'la. He took a sip and wasn't happy to find the tea was only warm. He accepted it though and took another sip before setting it on the table. Martha pulled the monitor over to him and he went through all of Imogen's information. He was unhappy to see how anemic she was but over all her test looked positive. He glanced towards Otis. He still didn't like the man but he was working hard to save his daughter and for that the Doctor was grateful.

When he finished his tea, and didn't immediately throw it up again. Martha kept Jack's earlier promise and removed the IV in his right arm, leaving the two in his left in place. He would keep those for a while longer. She pulled a curtain around him for privacy and then examined him head to toe, while Jack waited on the other side. Jack snickered as he heard the Doctor protest the catheter and Martha's refusal to remove it quite yet. Jack knew she could hear the Doctor's mumbling about it be unnecessary, but she ignored him. When she pulled back the curtain again, Jack looked into the eyes of a very unhappy Time Lord.

"It's not that bad Sweetheart," Jack reassured him as he took the Doctor's hand in his once more. The Doctor though didn't he respond as he turned his eyes back to Imogen. She needed him and he was to sick to help her. Once again he had failed her.

-Dw-

The Doctor drifted in and out of consciousness the next few days as he continued to recover. Jack bathed him, tenderly washing the Doctor. There was nothing intimate in his actions as he lovingly cared for his husband. Whether or not the Doctor noticed Jack's tenderness though, Jack wasn't sure. He was worried about the Doctor, for even though his body was recovering, he seemed quieter and weaker. He would lay for long hours staring at Imogen and watching her breathe. He barely reacted when Martha checked the staples in his incision and didn't seem to notice when she removed the electrodes from his chest.

The Doctor though was worried. He wasn't worried about himself, he knew that he would recover. He was worried about Jack and Imogen. He hadn't see Jack sleep or eat in the last few days. Jack was immortal and would return to him regardless it but it was hard to see him not taking care of himself. It was even harder to watch his daughter, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. Being so tiny, she barely woke, but when she did, she moved very little. He worried she wasn't going to make it and that is all that filled his sleep.

Over and over in his dreams she stopped breathing, while he was helpless to save her. He screamed at the others to save her, but his screams were ignored as they assured him she was fine. He would wake up panicked until he could see her breathing and would calm himself down again. She was a fighter from the very beginning and she was continuing to fight now.

"How are her energy levels?" He asked unexpectedly on the fourth day. Martha jumped slightly, she hadn't been aware he was awake as he had continued to lay there quietly behind her. She looked over to see him watching her as he gently stroked the hair behind Jack's ear. Jack was snoring softly with his head rested on the Doctor's bed. He had finally lost his fight to stay awake and the Doctor was doing his best to make sure that Jack rested.

"They remain low even though we are giving her extra potassium." Martha informed her as she looked through Imogen's information.

"There is a medicine in my cabinet that you can give her. It will help her body turn the potassium into energy. What are her levels at this moment?" He asked.

"They are sitting at 72%," Martha answered.

"Give her 0.1 mgs to start with. If necessary we can increase the dose later, but she is so tiny that it should be enough. Do you have a piece of paper?" He asked.

"Are you sure the medicine is okay for her?" Martha checked as she handed him a piece of paper and he drew a symbol on it.

"It is made for Time Lord children. Their bodies don't always convert energy properly and so this was developed to help. It is rare to have a Time Lord child so small though. The normal dosage is higher but I am taking her low birth weight into account." He explained to Martha.

"While I am in the cabinet, is there something I can get for you to help." Martha asked sensitively. She knew he had slipped into a depression. She had been watching him closely the last few days to confirm her suspicions but it was obvious to both her and Otis. She had discussed with Otis about getting the Time Lord on an anti-depressant and he had agreed with her that it was needed. Jack had heard them but he had said nothing as he watched his husband sleep.

"I'm fine," He answered automatically. His fail safe answer to everything. The fact that he was close enough to Martha and Jack that they didn't believe him didn't matter.

"You're not fine. I have known you for seven years now and in all that time I have never seen you so quiet. I am worried about you Doctor, we all are. It's not a weakness to have to take pills to help. I took them after the Valiant, Mickey took them for awhile too." Martha avoided the word depression for now. She knew if she flat out said the word the discussion would be dropped and he would continue to suffer.

"Mickey the idiot," The Doctor mumbled and then glanced up at Martha in surprise as she gently tapped his arm.

"He is my husband now and I think he has proven himself not to be an idiot. He is working hard for Torchwood in Jack's absence. I barely see him even when I do get a chance to go home." Martha scolded the Doctor softly.

"Sorry," The Doctor whispered as he turned away from her again. She took his chin in her hand and gently turned his face back. It wasn't hard to miss the tears that had formed in his eyes.

"I didn't say that to make you feel bad. I am worried about Imogen's health and future and I am her doctor..."

"Aunt," The Doctor interrupted and Martha smiled at him, before turning serious again.

"I can't imagine what you and Jack are going through. I think this is the first time Jack has slept since she has been born." Martha informed the Doctor and he nodded his agreement. "And you do nothing but sleep. One pill once a day can change that and make it a little easier for you to deal with what is happening."

"Twice a day." The Doctor whispered as he slowly drew another symbol on to the paper. Martha watched him as he finished it and then pushed the paper towards her. Martha took the paper and went over to the cabinet. She quickly found the vial of medicine for Imogen but it took longer to find the pills she needed for the Doctor. She collected them and then returned to his bedside.

"Is this the right one?" she asked as she held up the vial and he took it from her. He read the information on it and then pulled the monitor close to him again. He quickly had the TARDIS look up information on the drug and he confirmed that it was the right one. The TARDIS also agreed with him about the dosage. He pushed the screen away, satisfied he wasn't going to cause his Kui'la more harm.

"Inject 0.1 mgs into the canola for her IV. You need to monitor her and make sure that her levels don't rise to fast and she gets to hot." The Doctor explained.

"What if that happens?" Martha asked.

"Then we will have to cool her down quickly, but it shouldn't be an issue. The dosage is low enough that her levels will raise but not to quickly if her body reacts normally." The Doctor advised Martha as he took the box of pills from her. He took one out of the package and took a deep breath before placing it in his mouth. He swallowed it down with a sip of tea and then returned his hand to Jack's head. Jack moaned softly but continued to sleep. The Doctor watched as Martha drew up the small dosage of medicine and injected it into the IV. She laid the syringe and the vial with Imogen's other medications before marking the new one on the chart.

"How often should she receive the medicine?" Martha wondered as she wrote.

"Once a day until her energy levels stabilize." He answered.

"And how long will that take?"

"I don't know. She could be on the medicine for a week or she could switch to a pill form when she is older and be on it for the rest of her life."

"Are you suppose to be on a similar pill?" Martha raised an eyebrow at him and he shook his head no.

"I create to much energy. She doesn't create enough. My oldest had the same problem. His energy stabilized though by the time he was a month." The Doctor offered. It was rare to hear him talk about his children and Martha was amazed when he did. "With Imogen though, being she is half human, it is possible they won't stabilize as quickly."

"Have there been other Human/Time Lord children?"

"Not that I am aware of. I thought it was impossible, but she proves it isn't. There maybe others out there, but I doubt it." he replied softly and then scooted down the bed a little, so he could lay his head near Jacks. He kissed the top of Jack's head softly and then closed his eyes. Martha got the hint that the conversation was over. She had pushed him further then she meant to but in the process learned more then she expected.

Martha turned back to the child sleeping next to her. It may have only been because she was half Time Lord and half Human that she stood a chance at all. Though it didn't hurt that her fathers were two of the stubbornest men that Martha had ever met. Though both of them were fighters and Imogen had all ready proven herself to be one as well.


	17. Chapter 17

Jack woke up still sitting in the chair, with his head down on the Doctor's bed. His back felt stiff and sore from the position he was in and his arms had fallen asleep. Though when he tried to move them he received an unhappy groan from the Doctor. He opened his eyes to find the Doctor's head near his. The Doctor had one of Jack's arms in his holding it and Jack's other arm was being used as a pillow. He lifted his head slightly as he tried to figure out how to get free of the Time Lord's grip.

"I took pictures." Martha informed Jack happily, upon seeing his head move. She had originally only brought the camera on board so that she could take pictures of Imogen for them. Though she was glad she had it when they were sleeping and the Doctor had decided that Jack was his pillow.

"I appreciate it," Jack mumbled sarcastically as he carefully pulled his arm from the Doctor's grasp, being careful not to wake him. He managed to get his arm loose but as soon as he did, The Doctor latched on to the arm he was using as a pillow and held it tightly. Jack tried to just pull his arm and the Doctor growled causing Jack to chuckle.

"Since you're not going anywhere, it is your turn for us to have a talk," Martha commented as she watched the struggle.

"About." Jack sighed as he tried to get his arm free. He tickled the Doctor's nose lightly with his finger. The Doctor at first turned his face and rubbed the tip of his nose against Jack's shirt, trying to avoid the pest. When Jack kept it up though he slapped at Jack in his sleep and turned slightly, still holding Jack's arm, but his nose was no longer in easy reach.

"You not taking care of yourself and staying awake until you pass out." Martha scolded softly.

"I need to take care of my family." Jack argued.

"In order to do that, you need to take care of yourself. Worrying the Doctor because you won't sleep or eat is not taking care of him. I am not blaming you, but I had to put him on anti-depressants today and I wonder if you should take them as well." Martha commented.

"I am not depressed." Jack scoffed at the idea. He didn't feel depressed though he wasn't sure that he would admit to himself even if he was.

"Then act like it. Now his fever is almost gone and he is drinking on his own. I have no problem with removing his IV or his catheter when he next wakes up," Martha explained. "I think it would be a good idea for you to shower and then the two of you to get off of the TARDIS and into your home for a little while. Eat and enjoy sometime alone."

"We can't leave Imogen." Jack replied.

"You won't be. She will be right here, safe on the TARDIS. If either of you are needed, she is less then a minute away. I don't expect any complications though. We started her on a new medication to help her energy levels when the Doctor was last awake. So far it has worked well and raised them by five percent." Martha informed him.

"What if he can't walk that far yet?" Jack tried one last time. Why he was so worried to be alone with his husband, he wasn't sure.

"I don't want him walking that much yet. I have a wheelchair all ready for him to use. Now stop stalling and go take a shower." Martha snipped gently.

"Yes ma'am," Jack muttered as he finally got his arm away from the Doctor. He stood up and stretched his tired body. He kissed the Doctor softly on the head and caressed his cheek. He turned and Martha pointed towards the door. Feeling like a child who just got in trouble, Jack left the TARDIS and headed for the shower. He got under the warm water and stood there letting it revive his tired body.

After showering, shaving and dressing in clean clothes, Jack did feel better. Not that he was going to admit to Martha she was right. He returned to the TARDIS to find that the Doctor was awake and Martha was currently in the process of scolding him softly for removing most of the tape that held his IV in place. The Doctor tried to look chastised but Jack could clearly see the glint of happiness in his eyes. Martha removed the needle from his arm and then Jack helped him to dress.

The Doctor was unhappy about having to use a wheel chair but accepted it. Both Martha and Jack were surprised that they didn't have more of a fight on their hands to get him to use the chair until his energy was higher. She made it clear though tomorrow he was going to start physical therapy to get his body going again after being on bed rest for so long. He made a rude noise with his mouth at her as Jack carefully helped him to transfer into the chair. Though rather then letting Jack push him, he immediately wheeled himself over to the incubator.

"Imogen, daddy's here." He cooed at her and smiled as Imogen stretched upon hearing his voice. "Papa and I are going to eat supper. You behave for your Aunt Martha." He pulled up and checked all of her information while he sat there. He still didn't trust himself to be able to care for her or contribute to her needs. He was happy to see his suggestion about adding the medication to help her energy had worked. Jack came up and wrapped his arms around the Doctor from behind and kissed him on the cheek.

"She's beautiful sweetheart." Jack whispered in his ear. The Doctor reached out and placed a hand on the incubator's glass.

"I love you," He exclaimed in Gallifreyan. Jack took control of the chair and wheeled it out of the medi-bay and towards the TARDIS doors. The Doctor sat quietly as they went. He knew that he should have more information about Time Lord babies for Martha but he was still second guessing himself on whether the information was correct.

He realized that they had reached the kitchen and that Jack had been talking to him. He shook his head out of his daze and looked into Jack's eyes. Regretting the decision to leave the TARDIS he hung his head instead. He loved Jack with both of his hearts, but he couldn't stand to see the worry in Jack's eyes anymore. He decided to throw the pills away once he returned to the TARDIS. He didn't deserve to be happy when he hurt everyone he came in contact with, including his own family.

-DW-

As the Doctor's condition improved he was no longer required to sleep in the medi-bay. He still spent most of his time in there, watching over his sleeping daughter. She was improving vastly as well and it had been just over two weeks since her birth. She still had a long way to go before Martha would be able to release her from the medi-bay. Otis had returned to UNIT but was on call for any emergencies. Otherwise he was only going to stop in weekly to assist with her care. Everyone had high hopes for her future. Everyone but the Doctor.

Martha had hoped that the pills he was taking would start to help him deal with life but what she didn't know was each morning and evening the pill was flushed down the loo instead. He didn't want the pills, he deserved to suffer for the pain he had caused. He was the killer of his own people and he had brought more pain to the ones who stood by him. It was no wonder Jack had decided to return to work, rather then sit by his side during the day.

Life would be easier for them if he wasn't part of it, he concluded one morning as he stood in the shower. Normally he would take the TARDIS and leave, but that wasn't an opition, Imogen needed the TARDIS medi-bay. There was no where on earth that he could go either. No matter where he ran to Jack would find him, using Torchwood's resources and money. A snide voice, that he had heard before, snidely whispered that he should just end it. He ignored the voice as he turned off the water and got out. He dried off and then grabbed a razor to shave. The voice called out to him again.

Over the next few days the voice grew louder and he found himself listening. He spent more time hidden away in their bedroom then down in the medi-bay with Imogen or in Jack's office working. It was on the morning that Imogen's temperature spiked unexpectedly and they had to give her blood to help her anemia that he decided the voice was right.

-DW-

Jack didn't go to work that day as he sat in the Medi-bay with their daughter. He was worried about the Doctor and afraid he was going to do something stupid. He didn't want to return to work yet, but Ianto had called and explained they were having problems with weevils again. It was only suppose to be for a week but the Doctor seemed to think his going back to work was the same as if Jack abandoned them. He had watched the Doctor's body improve, but his eyes seemed lost and sad every time he looked into them. He knew the Doctor was supposedly taking anti-depressants but they didn't seem to be helping him much.

"Are you sure he is on the right medication?" Jack asked Martha quietly as the Doctor stepped out of the room.

"I didn't just take his word for it. I checked with the TARDIS about the correct pills and dosage before I asked him. He is on the right pills. The pills can take time to get to a therapeutic level though," Martha explained to Jack.

"Not the pills in the future. They begin to work in a few days rather then a few weeks," Jack responded. "I've checked the pill container and pills are missing, but I don't think he is taking them."

"Do you think he is throwing them away?" Martha wondered in concern and Jack shook his head no.

"I've checked the bins as well. He is hiding them somewhere else. I just hope..." He trailed off as the Doctor came back into the room.

"Hope what?" The Doctor asked as he sat down.

"That she responds to the medication and the blood." Jack finished. The Doctor eyed him suspiciously but didn't question it. He sat quietly next to Jack and when Jack tried to take his hand, he casually moved it out of the way. Martha and Jack exchanged glances but neither commented on the Doctor's strange behavior. It was late into the night before Imogen's fever finally broke and she rested more peacefully. It had been a long day, but Martha took first watch as she sent the two tired fathers to rest for a while. Jack promised that he would be back down in a few hours to relieve her. They climbed up the stairs and Jack got ready for bed while the Doctor used the loo. Ten minutes passed and he still hadn't come out.

"Sweetheart are you all right?" Jack asked softly as he knocked on the door.

"Fine," the Doctor replied from the other side of the door. His voice was to calm and hollow sounding. Jack reached down to open the door and found the door locked.

"Doctor, open the door." Jack tried not to let the terror he felt into his voice. The Doctor didn't respond. Jack stood back and kicked the door twice before it opened. He felt his heart stop for a moment as he took in the scene in front of him. The Doctor was sitting on the floor near the tub. He had his shirt sleeves rolled up and was gripping a razor in one hand. The other part of the razor was dug into his wrist and blood dripped down his arm.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked as he rushed over and took the blade from the Doctor.

"I am tired of hurting everyone." The Doctor whispered as Jack grabbed a towel and wrapped it around the Doctor's arm.

"Oh sweetheart." Jack sank to his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around the Doctor holding him close. The Doctor held himself stiffly for a few moments but then broke down in Jack's arms. His body shook as he sobbed and the tension released from his body. Jack gently picked the Doctor up in his arms and carried him back down the stairs and to the medi-bay. Martha rushed over as Jack laid him gently on the bed. She removed the bloody towel from his arm and examined the cut.

"It's not too bad." She commented as she replaced the towel to grab her suture kit. "Jack get his pills please and Doctor from now on I am going to personally give you the pill twice a day and you aren't allowed to leave my sight until you take it. Is that understood." Martha scolded softly and he nodded. "Also I am going to stitch up your arm and allow you to rest for a few hours but then you and I are going to have a long overdue talk."

"I don't want to talk," He whimpered as she carefully inserted the needle into his arm to numb around the cut.

"I am afraid you don't have an option anymore. I let myself get to close and trusted that you were taking the pills and helping yourself. For that I apologize. It ends now though, I am going to save your life as well as Imogens. Even if I have to fight you every step of the way." Martha explained, her voice cold and professional. He glared at her as she began to stitch his wound. She could handle it though, even if she lost him as a friend, she would still be there for him as his doctor.

Jack came back with the pills as Martha was tying off the last stitch in the Doctor's wrist. The cut thankfully wasn't that long nor that deep and she was able to close it quickly with a few stitches. She wrapped a bandage around his wrist and then released his arm. Taking the pills from Jack, she removed one from their protective covering. The Doctor took it from her and placed it in his mouth, swallowing it down with a drink of water.

"Open," Martha said and he complied. She checked his mouth to make sure that he had really swallowed the pill before sitting back again.

"Can I go to bed now?" He asked slightly irritated but exhausted. All the fight had left him at the moment and he just wanted to curl up and sleep.

"You can sleep here tonight." Martha responded as she cleaned up her suture kit.

"I don't want to sleep here." The Doctor pouted slightly.

"I'm sorry Doctor, but that wasn't an option." Martha explained gently. She went to the cupboard and got a fresh blanket and a pair of pajama trousers, laying it on the bed for him. He turned towards Jack for help but Jack had taken up the chair beside the bed once more. He had his head in his hands and was staring down at the ground. He looked as defeated as the Doctor felt. Even though he had been naked in front of Martha many times, his hands were shaking as he reached up to unbutton and remove his blood shirt.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Jack spoke up softly. Martha nodded and Jack pulled the curtain around the Doctor and himself to give the Doctor a little privacy as he changed. He watched as the Doctor removed his shirt and Jack took in how thin the Doctor had become in a short time. He was pale except for the thick red scar across the top of his groin. Jack kissed his fingers and then gently laid them down on the scar. The Doctor watched him and then looked up at Jack.

"I was right here sweetheart. You didn't have to deal with it on your own." Jack chastised him softly as the Doctor began to change again. Jack took his clothes as he undressed and laid them out of his reach. Once the Doctor was in his pajama bottoms, Jack opened the curtain again as the Doctor settled into the bed. Jack wanted to crawl up in it with him but the Doctor made sure that he was in the middle as he grabbed a pillow and wrapped his body around it. That didn't stop Jack though and he laid down on the edge of the bed behind the Doctor and pulled him against his chest, spooning with him. The Doctor resisted him at first but Jack held on tightly, desperate to comfort his husband.

The Doctor turned to look at Jack over his shoulder and Jack pressed their mouth's desperately together, wanting to feel and taste his husband. He forced the Doctor's lips apart with his tongue and ran it across the Doctor's teeth. The Doctor broke the kiss and then turned in to Jack, burying his face against Jack's chest. Sighing in content as he breathed him in.

"You were never alone," Jack whispered as he held him. The Doctor gripped Jack's shirt tightly at first, but his grip loosened as he drifted off to sleep. He laid there and held the Doctor for awhile before gently easing away from him. "Go to bed Martha."

"Are you sure?" Martha asked in concern, since circumstances had changed.

"Positive, I can keep an eye on my family for a few hours." Jack responded as he took Martha's place next to the incubator. He turned the chair slightly so that he could watch the Doctor as well as Imogen.

"I will be in the next room if you need me. I have just topped up her medications though so she should be fine until I wake up." Martha explained as she gave one last check to the infant. "Tomorrow if her fever remains down. I am going to let the Doctor hold her for a little while. If you want to, you can hold her after."

"As much as I want to Martha, he needs it more. Are you sure it is safe to hold her though?" Jack questioned.

"I am sure. I have discussed it with her primary doctor Otis and he agrees it is a good idea. I was going to discuss it with you tomorrow after I checked her over. I would prefer you wait to mention it until after that so he doesn't get his hopes up." Martha commented.

"I won't tell him. Don't worry." Jack responded.

"Also tomorrow morning I will need you to watch her for an hour again while I talk to him. Because whether or not he likes it. He is going to talk to me." Jack nodded. He knew it was going to be a struggle to get the Doctor to talk to anyone. In all the time that they had been together, he never before had to fight to comfort his husband when he was feeling down. Jack didn't notice when Martha left as he sat quietly watching the Doctor sleep. Beside him Imogen was making a strange grunting noise in her sleep.

The first time Jack had heard it, it had startled him but he had been reassured that it was perfectly normal in preemies and she would eventually out grow it. It still amazed him though how much noise she could make being so little. He ran through her stats, making sure everything was normal before moving from the chair and sitting next to the Doctor on the bed. He fixed the Doctor's blankets and then kissed his head softly. The Doctor sighed and buried his face a little further in the bed. Jack then turned to the the Doctor's clothes that he had laid out of reach.

Feeling a little guilty, he dug through the Doctor's pockets, looking for anything that he could harm himself with. The Doctor had a lot in his pockets. Most of it was junk that Jack couldn't figure out why the Doctor felt the need to carry it. Though as he continued the search he found a small bottle of aspirin. His blood ran cold as he held it in his hand. With out thinking about it, he chucked the vial as hard as he could at the TARDIS wall, watching the lid fly off and the contents spill on the medi-bay floor. It didn't help his anger though and he barely restrained the curse on his lips. Slowly he sank down against the wall, pulling his knees up to his chest. Wishing Martha was there so he could have a drink, he waited for morning.


	18. Chapter 18

Jack checked on Imogen often but after every check, he returned to the floor. As he sat on the floor of the medi-bay he noticed the Doctor's breathing change. The soft even breaths he had been taking, slowly gave way to quicker agitated breathing. The Doctor was prone to nightmares but something sounded wrong. Confused Jack stood up to check on him. The Doctor was still curled in almost the same position, his eyes were closed but his face was contorted in pain.

"Doctor?" Jack asked softly as he approached the bed. The Doctor's face quickly went blank. Jack grabbed the Doctor's blankets and pulled them back to find blood covering the bed. The Doctor's wrist was bleeding profusely again and in his other hand he held Jack's key ring. Jack tried to figure out how the Doctor got the keys as he tried to pull them out of his hands.

"Let me die," The Doctor pleaded with him, as he fought to hold on to the key he was digging into his wrist.

"I'm not going to let you die," Jack replied angrily as he finally wrenched the bloody keys out of the Doctor's hand. The Doctor fought still as he grabbed the Doctor's wrist and tried to apply pressure to the wound. He clawed at Jack's hands holding his wrist, leaving deep scratches.

"Martha, get in here." Jack called out as he climbed up on the bed and forced the Doctor to roll on his back. He grabbed his other wrist and pinned the Doctor to the bed. The Doctor bucked and screamed at him in Gallifreyan. Martha rushed in.

"What are you doing?" She exclaimed seeing the Doctor struggle.

"He ripped his stitches open and he's bleeding badly." Jack responded. Rather then hurrying to the bed to help Jack, Martha ran to the cupboard first. Opening it, she quickly found the Doctor's sedative, a syringe and gauze pads. Drawing up a half dose, she hurried over to the struggling pair. Grabbing the Doctor's shoulder to help keep him still she inserted the needle as gently as she could, but also as quickly. She emptied the syringe and then sat it on the table.

"There now just calm down Doctor," She said softly. The sedative began to take affect, his movements slowed and his speech slurred slightly. She grabbed his wrist and pressed the gauze against it to try to stem the bleeding as Jack climbed off of him. Once he was sure the Doctor was sedated enough that he wasn't going to be able to hurt Martha, Jack walked quickly across the medi-bay and went into its store room. Martha heard Jack's fist slam against the wall and he cursed loudly. He stepped back in a few seconds later with padded restraints. Not taking any chances he restrained the Doctor's clean wrist and both of his ankles to the bed.

"I don't want help," The Doctor pleaded with Martha as she surveyed the damaged done to his wrist for the second time that night.

"You don't have a choice Doctor," Martha responded calmer then she felt. "Jack come put pressure on this while I get my suture kit again." Jack came over and took the Doctor's wrist in his hand again. The Doctor had gone quiet and was staring at Jack with an unreadable expression.

"Just tell me why Doctor," Jack pleaded with him as he held the gauze in place. The Doctor didn't answer him as he continued to stare. Martha returned and took over again. She removed the broken stitches in the Doctor's wrist and then replaced them with new ones. The whole time she worked on his wrist, his eyes never left Jack. Jack moved away to check on Imogen to make sure she wasn't disturbed by the yelling and commotion. He could feel the Doctor's eyes on him and after he was positive his daughter was still okay, he returned to his husband's side. Martha finished re-bandaging the Doctor's wrist and then carefully placed his arm in the padded restraint.

"We need to change his bed and clean all of the blood off of him." Martha informed Jack as she removed her gloves and threw them away.

"If you help me to change the bed, I will clean him up." Jack responded. Martha went and got a couple of towels, laying them on the next bed over. While the Doctor was still drowsy they switched him to the clean bed. Jack carefully washed him while Martha cleaned the other bed off. Once Jack was finished, Martha helped him to remove the towels from under the Doctor and they covered him up to his stomach with a sheet. Finally they switched the position of the beds so he was once again in the space closet to Imogen's incubator. Though the sedative should have worn off a little, the Doctor continued to lay quiet and still.

"Doctor do you know the symptoms of post natal depression?" Martha asked sensitively as she turned the chair by the bed to face him. His eyes turned to her for a moment before looking at Jack again. Jack had moved so that he was now standing leaning against the wall. He was watching the Doctor as intently as the Doctor was watching him.

"It isn't a weakness to need help for depression. If taking one pill twice a day and talking can help you feel better, I don't understand why you chose to discard the pill instead." Jack added.

"I don't need help," The Doctor sighed finally.

"No you don't want help," Jack snipped back.

"Jack," Martha sighed loudly. "Can I please have you step out of the room for a moment while I talk to the Doctor?" Jack glared at her and considered heading towards the door for a coffee. Before he could make up his mind though, Jack turned his eyes away from the Doctor as he heard the medi-bay door open. He looked up to see Otis slip in. Jack grabbed the curtain and pulled it to separate the Doctor and Martha from Otis's view as he headed over to the incubator.

"I didn't expect to see you today." Jack commented as he approached the man. He heard Martha talking softly to the Doctor again but he didn't focus on what she was saying as he approached Imogen's doctor.

"Martha asked me to come by." Otis replied as he took Imogen's chart and began to review it. Jack nodded slightly grateful to see the man as he turned and stepped behind the curtains with the Time Lord.

"I couldn't keep her safe," The Doctor whispered in reply to a question Jack didn't hear. He had taken to staring at the ceiling rather then look at Martha.

"She is safe though and she is growing and thriving. She may have had a minor set back yesterday but with how little she is, set backs are to be expected." Martha tried to reassure him, but the Doctor clearly wasn't listening to her.

"I couldn't save the other children either."

"What other children?" Martha wondered.

"The two point four seven billion children that were on Gallifrey the day I caused it to burn." He turned his eyes to Martha, his eyes pleading with her. "A man that can do that to his own people doesn't deserve to be saved."

"You had no choice," Jack chimed in and the Doctor made a rude noise with his mouth. "You have said it yourself, the war would have ended up destroying the universe."

"Then let me die with them, like I was meant to do." The Doctor screamed at them.

"No," Jack replied firmly.

"It's because you hate me." The Doctor's eyes bore into Jack making him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"No it is because I love you. Ending it was never the correct answer. If you want to leave me and be alone, you could have taken my vortex manipulator and left."

"Space hopper," The Doctor scoffed, then he sighed loudly. "Can I have a cup of tea?"

"I will make you a cup, but it isn't going to stop you from talking." Jack informed him, as he left the medi-bay. Martha stood and pulled the curtain back so she could continue to watch him. He seemed calmer at the moment and she really needed to speak with Otis so that he could take over Imogen for a little while.

"I need to get Otis up to date and then I will be back to continue our talk Doctor." Martha assured him. He nodded weakly and then pulled at the restraints to test their give. Martha watched him for a moment and once she was reassured he was still calmer, she headed the few feet over to Otis. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that it was still before 7 in the morning. She hoped Jack brought coffee as well when he returned because they were going to have a long day ahead of them.

-DW-

Martha had retired to bed the night before with the intent of sleeping, but as she lay there going over the events of the day, the one conclusion she kept coming back to was, she needed help. She was in way over her head in trying to care for Imogen and the Doctor. In normal circumstances they both would have been in a hospital with a separate team of doctors and nurses caring for each of them. That wasn't possible though, with Imogen's two hearts and unique genes one mistake could kill her or set her back. Thankfully Otis had been a quick study and willing to listen to her. With the thought of Otis she made the decision to call him. The Doctor's suicide attempt had put a stop to him helping with Imogen. She couldn't trust him not to hurt his daughter. She glanced at the time and saw that it was two in the morning. She pulled out her phone anyways and called Otis. He had two other patients plus was planning a delivery of twins next week, but he would be able to stop by for a few days. Feeling better she had fallen asleep.

Only to be awoken by Jack screaming for her. Her heart raced as she ran into the room, expecting the worse for Imogen, only to find the Doctor and Jack fighting. The Doctor was covered in blood and Jack's words that he had tried again, quickly snapped her into action. She sedated him and then treated his wrist again as Jack strapped him to the bed. His arm looked like hamburger in some places where he had dug in the key with no regard to how much pain he was causing himself. She would be able to stitch the main cut again but she would only be able to bandage the rest. Once she had finished cleaning his arm the second time she carefully restrained his arm, though a part of her wanted to pull it tight and cause him pain.

She was angry at him, though she tried her best to remain professional. They were going to have to take someone off of Imogen's rotation to watch him full time now. She was sure now that given the opportunity, the Doctor would try again to end his life and she wasn't going to allow that to happen. She was going to force him to talk to her and deal with the pain he was feeling, even if she had to leave him restrained to the bed. Jack though had irritated him enough to talk and though she tried to kick Jack out of the medi-bay so she could talk to the Doctor in private, secretly she was happy.

The medi-bay door opening and Otis stepping in, had come as a huge relief and she felt weight lift off of her shoulders. Reaching a break in the conversation she excused herself and went to Otis's side. Out of the corner of her eye though she kept an eye on the Doctor. He was casually testing the restraints again, with a curious look on his face.

"How is he?" Otis asked as he sat down Imogen's chart.

"We had a second attempt after I called you." Martha answered. She gestured to Otis to step towards the door as the Doctor glared at them. Keeping her voice low, they discussed Imogen's charts. Together they agreed to raise her energy medication .1 mg as her energy was remaining at 85%. They planned to keep her potassium the same for now though.

"I know the plan for him to hold her today has to be postponed but I still think it would be good for her." Otis informed Martha quietly.

"I agree, but we can't trust him not to hurt her." Martha whispered back.

"I wouldn't hurt Imogen," The Doctor screamed at them angrily, and Martha winced. She knew he had good hearing, but she had thought they were out of his hearing range. Apparently she was wrong. She looked over as he thrashed on the bed, pulling on the restraints angrily cursing in Gallifreyan. Martha hurried over to the bed.

"I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't mean to upset you, but if you don't calm down again, I will sedate you." Martha snipped slightly even as she apologized. He didn't stop thrashing on the bed and glared at her with the full oncoming storm as he hissed at her in Gallifreyan still.

"That's not a nice thing to call the people trying to help you," Jack commented as he walked into the room with four cups. He handed one to Otis as he passed by the man. The other three he sat down on the table next to the Doctor's bed.

"You understand him?" Martha asked in amazement.

"Bits and pieces. Enough to know that he is livid, even without his tone." Jack sat down next to the Doctor and calmly ran his hand through the Doctor's hair. The Doctor snapped at his fingers, but Jack just moved his hand away from the Doctor' mouth and repeated the action making gently shushing noises.

"I know you wouldn't hurt Imogen, but you have to reassure them first. Acting like this is not helping you," Jack said softly and the Doctor's tone calmed and he finally stopped moving. Jack picked up the Doctor's tea and helped him to take a drink. The Doctor swallowed and then laid back against the pillow. He glared at Martha still but he allowed Jack to comfort him without fighting it.

"We still think skin on skin contact would be good for her, but we are worried about letting him hold her," Martha explained.

"And you decided to have this conversation in front of him?" Jack asked in surprise as he picked up both of the coffees. He handed Martha hers and then took a sip of his.

"We thought we were out of hearing range." Martha replied sheepishly and Jack nodded in understanding.

"Doctor, I know that you are intelligent enough to understand why they are worried," Jack looked down at his husband. The Doctor looked up at Jack, his eyes were sad.

"Yes," the Doctor replied his voice scratchy with the tears he was holding back. With how sick his Kui'la had been, the thought he would be able to hold her soon had never crossed his mind. He pulled lightly on the restraints again as tears filled his eyes. He wanted out of them and to take Imogen in his arms.

"Doctor," Martha said softly and he forced himself to look at her. "I want to trust you, but we can't." He closed his eyes as the tears finally broke free.

"Jack would you be willing to keep a constant eye on him?" Martha asked.

"Yes, anything to help him." Jack responded immediately.

"Doctor, If you take your pills willing, stay by Jack's side, talk to me twice a day for at least an hour at a time, and show you can be trusted, we will reassess your holding her in a few days." Martha calmly stated.

"What about the restraints?" The Doctor wondered softly.

"Those can come off later today, if you prove to me you don't need them." Martha answered him, her mind made up. He nodded feebly and sniffled as Jack wiped his tears away gently with a handkerchief. "Good then I am going to continue to talk to Otis and here in about twenty minutes, we are going to talk in private. Is that understood?"

"Yes Martha," The Doctor answered weakly as he lay defeated in the bed. He finished his tea and Jack helped him to clean up his face while Martha and Otis sat and chatted. When exactly twenty minutes had passed, Martha went and retrieved the wheel chair from the storage room. The Doctor didn't fight them as he was unrestrained from the bed and then led to the chair. Jack kissed him softly on the cheek as he restrained his arms to the chair and then Martha pushed him out of the room. She took him to a small room nearby that only held a chair and a sofa. He mentally chastised the TARDIS for creating the room and she hummed at him. Martha locked the breaks on his chair and then took a seat in the armchair facing him. Pulling out a clip board and a pen Martha settled back to listen as he began to speak.


	19. Chapter 19

Martha let the Doctor just talk for a while. His voice was calm, but rather then telling her anything that would help him, he instead discussed Time Lord energy and how being low it would slow down Imogen's healing and growth. He agreed with their assessment to raise her medication but warned them yet again to watch her for a sudden temperature increase. Martha looked calmly at her watch as he tried to lift his arm and got frustrated he couldn't. Only ten minutes had passed.

"If you want out of those restraints you are going to have to actually talk to me." Martha commented as she flipped to a new page.

"I am talking," He replied indignantly.

"And while I agree that the topic you chose is important, I want to hear about you, not Imogen. I need to understand why you decided that you didn't need the pills," Martha looked over the clipboard at him and he adverted his eyes. "And telling me that you are a Time Lord is not going to be good enough."

"I am a Time Lord." He glanced at her, smiling weakly.

"So explain to me and make me understand why that means you don't need the pills. Nothing that you say here leaves this room. Everything will just remain between the two of us." Martha stated. He considered Martha's words before he began to speak.

"I was never a very good Time Lord," The Doctor began softly. He looked down at the floor rather then Martha as he talked. "I was the second child of four. My older brothers and sister were loomed and genetically perfect in every way. They were stronger telepaths, faster and smarter. I was born three years after my sister and it was immediately made clear that I would never live up to their standards. For one thing I wasn't loomed, I was one of the few Time Lords born naturally. Though my family cared for me as a child, it was my mother who protected me and I was always closer to her then my father. My father use to tell me that I would only bring honor to the family by getting a job at the academy and raising a family with the wife that was prearranged for me before I could even walk."

"I've told you before that at the age of eight we were taken from our families to join the academy. At the academy we were not only taught science, history and math. We were also taught that as Time Lords we were suppose to be better then the common Gallifreyans. Sex, and love were beneath us as well as anything that didn't improve our minds." Martha noticed him trying to lift his hand again. She stood up and unhooked his hand with the bandaged wrist, before sitting down again. He smiled at her gratefully as he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It was while at the academy that I... I became like this for the first time." Martha made a note that he avoided the word depressed but let him continue. "I quickly learned that while it was a recognized problem on Gallifrey, it was not something a Time Lord suffered. I was informed that if I had been loomed like the rest, I wouldn't have the defect." He went quiet.

"So you learned how to hide the fact that you were depressed rather then learning to deal with your depression. That was wrong of them. Even on Earth we recognize that being depressed isn't a weakness." Martha concluded.

"I studied harder at the academy, but I still fell behind. I spent a lot of time in detention for failing test and classes. When I graduated from the Academy I still owed them hundreds of detentions."

"And none of the detentions were from you causing trouble?" He smiled sheepishly at her.

"Academy life was strict. We were told when to wake up, eat, go to class, study and sleep, there was little to no free time. Koschei was my roommate at the academy and he would wake me in the middle of the night to run and explore. We learned almost every piece of that Academy and one day we were going to explore the stars together." The Doctor smiled fondly at the memory.

"So what happened?"

"We were children. After I left the academy, I was married and settled down to raise three boys. We didn't agree on how to raise them though and before my youngest entered the academy, she took ours sons and left. By then Koschei had all ready ran away from Gallifrey and so I worked. It was after my granddaughter was born that I finally stole the TARDIS and left Gallifrey." Tears filled his eyes. "Are we done?"

"For now, when we come back though I want to discuss your family more." Martha commented as she stood up.

"Why? They are gone Martha, I lost them during the war." He hissed softly.

"That is why you need to discuss them. They meant a lot to you and talking about your family, can help you deal with their loss." Martha removed the strap from his other arm and rather then stand up he sat there frozen. He didn't want to think about his family but the memories were flooding back.

His youngest son had been killed on the field in front of him. He was shot through both hearts and was dead before he could regenerate. When he finally destroyed Gallifrey, his other two sons had been in the Citadel waiting for the decision of the council. His mother was council member. His father was missing at that point a long with his granddaughter Susan and his best fried Koschei. Even though he hadn't been on the planet, due to the device he had used to destroy it, he had still been forced to watch the planet burn.

When he came back to reality he was sitting on Jack's lap on the floor in the small room, clinging to his husband. Jack's shirt was soaking wet and the Doctor felt as though he just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for the next hundred years. He didn't fight Jack off but he didn't deserve to be comforted. He deserved to be strapped back in the chair and locked in a room alone for the rest of eternity.

-DW-

As the Doctor and Martha talked, Jack paced the medi-bay, listening for any hint that he was needed. He partly blamed himself for the Doctor's suicide attempt. If he hadn't gone back to work... No, thinking like that wasn't helping. The Doctor had made the choice to throw the pills away and now they were all suffering the consequences. He needed to work and the Doctor needed to understand that Jack wasn't abandoning them by choosing to work. Next time though, he would sit down and discuss with the Doctor his returning to work and make sure they were both comfortable with the decision.

"Do you agree with Martha's assessment that the Doctor would hurt Imogen?" Otis asked suddenly and Jack stopped his pacing to look at the man in disgust. The thought that the Doctor would intentionally hurt their daughter had never crossed his mind until Martha had brought it up. Even then he didn't believe the Doctor could hurt their child. The Doctor had been willing to sacrifice his life from the beginning to save her.

"No, actually I don't. The Doctor is not a cruel man and while he may hurt himself, he would never intentionally hurt a child. I personally think holding Imogen would help him," Jack responded finally.

"From what I have observed, I agree with you. I also think that Imogen being held would be good for her. There has been studies that have found skin on skin contact is beneficial for preemies. After they are done talking, if you would take the Doctor out of the room for a little while, I will talk to Martha." Otis informed Jack.

"I appreciate all of your help, we both do." Otis smiled at him. Jack continued his pacing. He tried not to think about what the Doctor had done to his wrist or the feeling of panic as he had tried to get the door open, knowing something was wrong. He looked towards the room the Doctor was in and just for a moment his heart raced in fear. He quickly reminded himself that Martha was in with the Doctor and she would keep him from hurting himself again. It didn't help much though.

"Are you a father Otis," Jack asked to break the silence.

"No, I have no children of my own." Otis responded.

"If you don't mind me asking, then why did you go into neonatal care?"

"I had a sister who was born premature. She had a lot of problems growing up and I wanted to be able to help other children like her." Otis answered him. "Is she your first?"

"My sixth actually. That I know of." Jack responded. Otis just nodded but didn't ask Jack to elaborate. Jack was thankful for that. His oldest four kids had all been born in the late 1800's and passed away many years ago, though from all but one of them he had grandchildren who were still alive. He was still in touch with Alice but she was in her thirties now and was busy with his grandson Steven. He hadn't contacted them since before Imogen's birth and wondered if she would like to know that she had a sister. He decided to call her in the next few days and let her know.

An hour was almost up and he began to plan lunch for the Doctor. The Doctor needed to gain a little weight, but he wouldn't eat willingly. There was a bread with ham and cheese in it that the Doctor enjoyed and Jack thought about making it. It would take to long to bake for lunch but they could have it for supper instead. For lunch though he would at least get some fresh fruit and vegetables into him. He glanced at the clock again and then the door, wishing she would just open it all ready. When Martha finally opened the door though and called him in, the look on her face made him panic. He rushed into find the Doctor sitting in the chair still, tears pouring down his face.

"Doctor," Jack whispered softly. The Doctor didn't react. Jack knelt in front of him and waved a hand in front of his eyes. Still no reaction, the Doctor was lost in his mind and hurting. Jack carefully lifted the Doctor out of the chair and sat down with him on the ground. Almost childlike in his actions, the Doctor curled up on his lap and grabbed Jack's shirt tightly. He buried his face against Jack's chest as he continued to cry. Jack held him tightly.

"It's all right, just let it all out," He whispered as the Doctor sobbed. He noticed the subtle change as the Doctor came back to reality. His crying slowed down and his grip loosened on Jack's shirt. Jack held on until the crying stopped all together. His shirt was soaked and his legs felt slightly numb.

"Time to get up sweetheart," Jack cooed as he gently tried to shift the Doctor off of his sleeping legs.

"Five more minutes," The Doctor whispered against Jack, as he resisted. Jack kissed him softly on the top of the head as he adjusted his grip.

"Then let's move somewhere a little more comfortable." Jack gave in as he scooped the Doctor up with ease and carried him past Martha and Otist, to his bed in the medi-bay. He laid the Doctor on it and then laid down on his side facing him, letting the Doctor curl into him again.

"Sit up slightly," Martha said as Otis opened the incubator. The Doctor looked at them curiously but quickly moved to comply. Gently Otis picked up Imogen and carried her the short distance to the bed. He laid her on the Doctor's chest. He covered her back with a blanket as the Doctor looked down at her in amazement. Tears filled his eyes again as he held her and he couldn't even choke out the thank you.

He had seen her everyday since her birth but to be able to finally hold her in his arms was bliss. Her skin was slightly warmer then his, but he knew it was due to her unique genes rather then due to illness. He breathed in her unique scent and examined her tiny fingers with care. She stretched slightly and whimpered softly. Closing his eyes he reached for her with his mind and felt her mind reaching back. She still couldn't connect with him, but the beginning of the link was there and it would only grow stronger in time. He opened his eyes again and turned to look at Jack. He was beaming with happiness.

"Would you like to hold her?" The Doctor asked, a slight reluctance in his voice.

"I would love to hold her, but not today. Today, you can hold her for as long as you need to," Jack responded softly. The relief that crossed the Doctor's face as he turned his full attention back to their daughter made Jack smile. Jack looked for Otis and found him working away. He could never repay the man who had saved his daughter and now had saved his husband.

The Doctor was so completely absorbed in Imogen as he held her, that he didn't seem to notice that there was others still in the room. He whispered to her in Gallifreyan that he loved her and cooed over the little noises that she made. The look of wonder and awe on his face made everyone else in the room smile. Consequently though, he looked absolutely heartbroken was Otis informed him that she would have to go back into her incubator in a few minutes. With tears in his eyes he kissed her softly on the head and then moved so Jack could. Carefully he stood up and placed her into the incubator.

"Sleep well my Kui'la," He cooed in Gallifreyan as he adjusted her IV's and oxygen. He changed her nappy and made sure she was settled before closing the incubator. After he checked the temperature setting and adjusted it a little.

"Is she too cold?" Martha asked in concern.

"No she is too warm. Her body temperature is closer to mine then Jack's." The Doctor commented. He the turned to Jack. "I need to do some work on the TARDIS."

"You need to eat lunch first, while I start supper," Jack responded. The Doctor only wanted to work on the TARDIS for one of two reasons. Either A, he wanted to hide away or B he need to think. Jack hoped it was B but he was more concerned with the Doctor's weight at the moment. The Doctor stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jack's neck kissing him softly on the lips.

"Please Jack."

"Food then work," Jack responded kissing him back.

"Bugger." Jack laughed and took the Doctor's he led him to the kitchen, where he cut up fresh fruit and made a fruit salad. While he worked the Doctor grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and began to write. He was scribbling quickly in circular Gallifreyan and every once in a while would jot down a few numbers. He was chewing on the end on the pencil when Jack set the bowl down beside the paper. He barely even looked up as he took the pencil out of his mouth, grabbed a piece of banana with his fingers and popped it in his mouth.

"I gave you a fork you know," Jack commented as he watched the Doctor dig out another banana.

"I have fingers," The Doctor replied absentmindedly as he crossed out one of his equations and wrote another one beneath it.

"What are you doing?" Jack wondered as he pulled out the ingredients for their dinner. He didn't look at a recipe as he threw the ingredients together. He had made the dish many times over the years, after first learning the recipe from his mother. It was a popular meal as it was easy to transport for school children and workers.

"Just thinking." The Doctor pushed the bowl away and Jack walked over to push it back. He noticed all the bananas were gone but none of the other fruit had been touched.

"Eat."

"I did." The Doctor responded indignantly.

"Eat more then the bananas or I will take your work away." Jack threatened.

"I'm not a child Jack." The Doctor sighed as he pushed the bowl away again. He grabbed another piece of paper and scribbled quickly. Jack let him as he returned to working on the bread. Martha came into the room at one point and set three pills in front of the Doctor as well as a glass of water. He picked them up and placed them in his mouth, swallowing and then opening his mouth to let her see they were gone.

"Good now eat." She picked up the bowl and placed it on his papers making him scowl.

"I'm not hungry." He argued.

"I'm not caring." She picked up his fork and jabbed one of the pieces of strawberry. He rolled his eyes and took the fork from her and placed the strawberry in his mouth, chewing slowly. Jack watched the two of them as he placed the bread in the oven and cleaned his mess up. He knew he was too easy on the Doctor sometimes but it was because he wanted the Doctor to be his partner, not his slave or his submissive. He had had those types of relationships in the past and never found them that fulfilling.

"When you are done eating sweetheart, we can go work on the TARDIS," Jack informed him.

"I'm done," The Doctor responded happily as he rushed out of the room. Martha shook her head.

"He barely ate."

"I know but he still ate more then he has in the last few days. Forcing him to eat isn't going to help his mindset any. I am going to let him work on the TARDIS for a few hours, then we will have supper, after supper he can talk to you and then the two of us will curl up and watch a movie." Jack informed her as he followed closely behind. The Doctor stopped in Jack's office right out side the TARDIS doors.

"Kui'la needs me to hold her," He whispered.

"She needs to rest now, you can hold her later tonight," Martha informed him softly. He nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he pulled himself together. Pushing open the TARDIS doors, he ran ahead of them again as they walked on to the TARDIS and pulled a panel off of the console. He quickly disappeared underneath it as Jack paused in the doorway with Martha.

"He still has a long way to go, doesn't he," Jack kept his voice low as he talked.

"Yes, but he will get there Jack." Martha promised him. She rubbed his back with one hand and he smiled weakly at her, before following the Doctor to the console and sitting down near his legs. He handed the Doctor a tool and took a wire, holding it for the Doctor. Martha shook her head and then walked back towards the medi-bay. Jack was trying so hard to stay strong, Martha just hoped he would soon realize he didn't have to do it alone.


	20. Chapter 20

It had been a long day and Jack was relived as they finally curled up on the bed together, as the Doctor held Imogen. It was hard to believe it had only been about twenty four hours since his first suicide attempt. The day had pretty much gone as planned, though by the time he had managed to drag the Doctor away from underneath the TARDIS controls, it was to late to watch a movie. They had instead ate supper and then he talked to Martha. Though he was in the room for an hour with her their talk, according to Martha, pretty much was him explaining everything that he rather be doing then talking to her. She was particularly insulted when he stated he would rather be learning Vogon poetry. The Doctor didn't seem to care though, as she explained their conversation to Jack. He smiled to himself as he settled down on the bed to hold his daughter.

"You being allowed to hold her is not a reward or a punishment." Martha stated as she drew up two different drugs into a syringe. "That being said, the longer you take to get better, the longer you are not going to be allowed to take care of her on your own."

"Martha," The Doctor whined as she laid the syringe down near him and the reached for his bandaged arm.

"Your arm still needs to be checked." Martha stated calmly. Jack sat down on the bed beside the Doctor and pulled him back a little to lean against him. It was the first time he had seen the Doctor's arm since he took the key to it and he couldn't believe the damage the Doctor had willing caused himself. Martha helped him to flex it slightly and move it. The Doctor winced but other then that didn't react.

"Grip my hand." Martha told him and he grabbed it. "Tighter."

"I don't want to hurt you." The Doctor informed her.

"I don't think you can." Martha taunted and his grip tightened slightly. He looked confused and then tried again. "I believe you caused nerve damage to your wrist. You are going to have to take it easy with this hand for awhile and we are going to start simple exercises to help with the damage."

"I messed up." The Doctor hung his head.

"Big time, but we will help you to move past this." Jack reassured him and kissed him on the head.

"Give Jack Imogen for a moment," Martha told him as she picked up the syringe. He listened and carefully passed Imogen to Jack. Jack held her carefully in one arm as he took the Doctor's hand. The Doctor squeezed his hand tightly as Martha inserted the needle into his wrist.

"Imogen looks a lot like you." Jack commented trying to distract him.

"No she has your eyes and nose." The Doctor argued looking down at her. "She also has your cleft chin."

"Poor little one," Jack sighed. Imogen whimpered. "I know I would cry to."

"Jack," The Doctor drew out his name and then yelped, gripping Jacks arm tighter.

"Sorry," Martha apologized as she withdrew the needle and then capped the empty syringe. She carefully wrapped his arm again and then allowed him to pull away from her. He did so with a scowl and then gratefully accepted the two sleeping pills she offered him. "I am going to be right over on the other side of the room if you need me."

"Where is Otis?" Jack asked curiously.

"Napping, he is going to take the night shift so you two can sleep." Martha responded as she settled down in an arm chair and picked up a book. The Doctor took Imogen back from Jack and then leaned into his husband. They rested quietly together for a while but it was soon clear that the Doctor was more asleep then awake as he cuddled closer to Jack.

"Jack are you going to keep living after I am gone?" The Doctor asked drowsily as he nuzzled Jack's chest with his head.

"I can't die sweetheart." Jack responded confused.

"That's not what I asked." The Doctor looked up at him. " I know you can't die. I want to know that you will live."

"I'll try." Jack held him slightly tighter. He didn't want to think about the time when he was alone again, with the Doctor's ashes scattered on some distant planet. He had promised the Doctor long ago that if anything were to ever happen to him, he would burn his body. He just hoped that the Doctor regenerated and lived to be an old man before that day ever came.

"Promise me." Came the sleepy reply as he fought to stay awake.

"I promise," Jack agreed, though he didn't know if he actually meant it. He held his husband tightly as his breathing evened out.

"Martha," he called out softly and she looked up. He motioned to Imogen and she nodded. She sat the book down and came over. Carefully she tried to pick up Imogen off of the Doctor's chest.

"Mine," the Doctor whimpered halfheartedly. Jack chuckled as Martha moved her and the Doctor turned into Jack. He gripped Jack's shirt with his hand. Jack swung one of his legs over the the Doctor's to pin him in place. The Doctor didn't mind though as he continued to sleep. Jack just needed to hold him and feel his cool breath against his skin and his hearts beating in his chest.

"I love you." Jack whispered as he kissed him on the head and then rested his cheek on the Doctor's head. Tears filled his eyes and he couldn't stop them from sliding down his cheeks as the events of the day caught up with him. Martha sat down behind him on the bed, gently rubbing his back, until his sobs subsided.

"You want pills to help you sleep as well?" Martha asked as he calmed down.

"I need to be here for him when he wakes up." Jack responded.

"You needed to sleep." Martha stood and headed over to the medicine cabinet. She filled a syringe with a sedative and he returned to his side. He looked at her gratefully as she took the decision away from him and injected the sedative into his arm.

"Good night Jack," She whispered as she covered the two of them with a blanket. He sighed softly as he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

The Doctor tossed and turned in his sleeping whimpering and calling out for someone named Adelaide. In his dream he had just saved a group of people from the red planet who were destined to die. As they stood in the snow in front of Adelaide's home, he declared himself the Time Lord Victorious and that no one could stop him. The fear in the woman's eyes should have been enough to make him realize he was wrong, but it wasn't until he heard the gun shot that his eyes flew open.

Quickly he scanned his memories and found that everything was how it should be. Adelaide Brooke had died on Mars in the year 2059 with the rest of her team. No one knew what happened to them aboard the station or why she had decided to blow up it up. The story itself didn't comfort him, only the fact that he hadn't changed history. The actions in his dream were those of a desperate, lonely, mad man and Jack had saved him from that. With Jack he was never going to be alone.

"Do you need to talk about your dream?" Otis asked him softly. He turned to look at the man. Otis was currently giving Imogene nutrients through her feeding tube. The Doctor wasn't happy with the tube, but understood it was necessary to get her adequate nutrition and to get her weight up. He just wanted her to learn to suckle, breathe and swallow at the same time properly so they could start bottle feeding her.

"No," he answered finally as he curled back into Jack. He reached into Jack's pockets, looking for anything sharp, but Jack had cleaned them out. Instead he found a small picture with Jack and Imogen together. He looked at the picture for a while, and then flipped it over to see that Jack had written, "Remember that we love you," on the back. Smiling he leaned up to kiss Jack on the forehead and then clutching the picture tightly in his hands, settled back against Jack to sleep.

When he woke up again a few hours later, Martha was awake. She changed his bandages as he took his morning pills and then she escorted him into the room while Jack continued to sleep. It worried him that Jack was sleeping so long. Even if he was sedated, he shouldn't sleep more then five hours due to the energy that kept him alive.

"How long has Jack been asleep," He asked Martha as he settled down on to the couch. He put his hands behind his head and kicked his feet up on to the arm.

"About nine hours and let him sleep. He obviously needs it and is sleeping peacefully. You on the other hand, Otis told me that you tossed and turned the entire night and had a nightmare that woke you up. What was the nightmare about?" Martha picked up her clipboard. He thought for a brief moment of lying to her but instead he told her about his strange dream. He told her how she shouldn't drink the water on Mars and what happened to the people in his dream when they were touched by the water. Finally he told her about Adelaide.

"But it was just a dream, you didn't really change history?"

"Of course not," he snipped, glaring at her.

"Sorry but I had to ask." Martha held up her hands in surrender. His eyes softened and she lowered her hands and picked back up the clipboard. "Do you still want to die?"

"Yes, but not as much as before."

"And everyday it will get easier." Martha promised him. They spoke for a little while longer, before she let him go. Instead of heading back to the bed though, he decided to leave the medi-bay. Martha quickly caught up to him and took his elbow, leading him back to the group. He smiled playfully at her as he settled down in the chair next to the bed.

-DW-

Jack was sleeping peacefully for the first time since the Doctor's pregnancy was discovered. He was having a pleasant dream that he was back on the Boeshane Peninsula helping his father and younger brother fish. Though an annoying bug kept landing on his nose. He swatted at it but it returned. As he began to wake though he could still feel the annoyance. Opening his eyes, he looked straight into the eyes of his husband. They were squinted in concentration as the Time Lord tickled the end of Jack's nose with his finger.

"Sweetheart," Jack groaned irritably. Though it was hard to stay irritated as the Doctor's eyes lit up and he pressed his lips firmly to Jack's kissing him passionately.

"You're awake," He exclaimed happily as he pulled back. "Make her let me go."

"What?" Jack asked in confusion as he sat up. It was then that he noticed that the Doctor's good wrist was handcuffed to the bed.

"He tried to escape," Martha explained exasperated.

"I wanted to use the loo." The Doctor pouted.

"Three times." Martha asked and the Doctor hung his head, though Jack noticed he was shaking slightly. At first Jack thought he had started crying but he quickly realized that the Doctor was in fact laughing. Jack shook his head, climbed off the bed and stretched.

"I should leave you there while I go make breakfast." Jack threatened.

"Please don't." The laughter stopped and he looked up with a crazed look in his eye. He reminded Jack of a caged animal.

"Martha let him free," Jack stated and Martha came over. She undid the cuff around his wrist. As soon as it was gone, the Doctor ran from the room and out of sight. Wishing he could have just one peaceful morning Jack took off after him. He finally caught up with the Doctor in the front yard of their home. It was lightly raining and he was standing in it, looking up. Jack walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist pulling him close.

"What are you thinking about?" Jack questioned.

"We should visit the rain planet again and talk to the queen." The Doctor answered.

"We will once you are feeling better." Jack informed him and the Doctor turned to look at his husband.

"I feel fine." He hissed.

"Do you still want to die?" Jack asked as he looked the Doctor straight in the eye. The Doctor's eyes darted away from him and that was all the answer that Jack needed. "Is there anything I can do to help you change your mind?"

"Make love to me." The Doctor whispered.

"Will that help?" Jack received the Doctor's lips pressed softly to his in reply. The Doctor ran his tongue along Jack's lips and Jack opened his mouth slightly allowing the Doctor to deepen the kiss. He kissed Jack slowly as he ran his hands down his back and pushed there groins together. Through the layers of clothes he could feel how hard the Doctor was and his body immediately responded in turn.

"Are you healed enough?" Jack questioned and the Doctor nodded. Smiling Jack took the Doctor's hand and led him back into the house and up the stairs to their room. He laid the Doctor on his back on their bed and they held each other close as their body's moved as one on the bed. As Jack neared completion though, he turned them on their sides so they chest were still pressed together, with the Doctor's legs wrapped around his waist. His own body slightly angled. He managed to bring the Doctor first before following him over the edge. After he coaxed the Doctor out of his arms and into the shower, where he brought the Doctor to climax a second time. He watched the Doctor closely while he shaved and then the Doctor dressed in his brown suit. For the first time in days, the Doctor finally looked normal and Jack hoped it was a step in the right direction.


	21. Chapter 21

Imogen grew stronger as the next two months passed. She gained weight and was finally able to drink from a bottle. She became frustrated with it easily though so feeding her was also a test of patients. She was also allowed out of the TARDIS for brief trips into the home, one of the few luxuries of having a complete medical room. It was on the day that Martha declared she no longer needed around the clock medical attention that they noticed the Doctor didn't like to be alone with Imogen.

He was no longer suicidal and was taking his pills without being watched. Martha still spoke to him but now their sessions were twice a week rather then twice a day. He had also gained weight again and was eating on a regular basis. Jack and his relationship was stronger then ever and the two of them made love when ever they had a free moment together, which wasn't often with a demanding child. The Doctor was willing to hold her for hours and entertain her, as long as someone else was in the room.

The first night Martha went home to Mickey and Otis was away for the night, was when Jack noticed the Doctor refused to leave his side with Imogen. She slept in her cot in their room and when Jack went down to his office to put in a few hours of work, the Doctor soon followed and worked on the TARDIS with the door open, while Imogen slept in Jack's office. The trend continued for almost a week before Jack and Martha came up with a plan to get the Doctor to take care of Imogen alone for a few hours. Jack felt a little guilty tricking his husband, but they agreed it was necessary. Otis had twins to deliver in the coming week and so Martha planned a short vacation.

"I want to return to work," Jack told the Doctor as they settled down in bed. "Ianto has been running things for months now and while he is doing an excellent job, I feel as though I should be there."

"What about us?" the Doctor asked as he snuggled closer to Jack.

"I'll still be here sweetheart, it won't be like before where I would work overnight. I will try to be home at the same time every night and I will call you if that isn't possible." Jack reassured him. "On weekends you and I can go on trips in the TARDIS if Martha is willing to watch Imogen and when she gets bigger she can go with us."

"Will you bring me home artifacts to catalog?" The Doctor asked looking up at Jack.

"If you would like me to," Jack agreed, the Doctor nodded and cuddled up to sleep, only to have Imogen start crying. The Doctor sighed and then rolled over, wrapping himself around a pillow.

"Your turn," he informed Jack as he closed his eyes. Jack stared at him in disbelief for a moment before getting out of bed. By the time he got to Imogen her cries of unhappiness were loud and she didn't calm down right away. Jack took her down to the kitchen as the Doctor went to sleep. He calmed her down and gave her a bottle. By the time he returned to bed, he was exhausted but both his daughter and husband were sound asleep.

Jack woke up the next morning to the sound of Imogen yet again crying and a horrible odor surrounding him. He opened his eyes to see Imogen laying on the bed near him while the Doctor stood close by. Her hands were clenched into fist and she had her eyes squinted, getting ready to get louder if she wasn't attended to soon.

"Kui'la needs a nappy change," The Doctor informed him, with a slight grin on his face. He set Imogen's diaper bag on the bed. The Doctor had fought Martha when she first suggested they get one, saying he wouldn't ever use it. Though he ended up using it often, he still wouldn't admit to her that he found it useful.

"I can smell that." Jack commented scrunching his nose up. "Are you going to change her?"

"No, I am going to shower and get ready to take you to work."

"I can drive." Jack responded as he reached for one of Imogen's nappies. The Doctor tilted his head and looked at Jack with an analyzing glaze.

"You have to go to work on the same day that Martha has a medical conference and Otis delivers twins. Forcing me to be alone with her isn't going to make me more comfortable in taking care of her alone." The Doctor finally told Jack. "Now finish changing her while I shower."

"Why are you afraid to be alone with her," Jack questioned.

"I might hurt her," The Doctor answered honestly. Since he had been forced to talk these last two months, he had became a little more open with his answers, rather then hiding behind his lies and I'm fine statements.

"I don't believe you could ever hurt her," Jack informed him.

"I did my other children." The Doctor whispered.

"You were at war, you did what you had to do. I've been a solider too Doctor, I understand. The choices you make on the battleground are hard and stay with you." Jack tried to look the Doctor in the eye, but the Doctor refused to meet his gaze.

"I'm going to shower," he said again and then disappeared into the loo.

"What are we going to do with him," Jack asked Imogen as the water started. He finished changing her and then cuddled her close. She smelled of baby lotion and sour milk. It wasn't unpleasant though. Jack was going to miss her while he was at work, but it was time to get a routine back in their lives. When the Doctor had finished his shower, he showered while the Doctor made breakfast.

After they all boarded the TARDIS and the Doctor moved her for the first time since she had been brought to the house. The TARDIS behaved better then Jack could ever remember her behaving before. He was positive it was because Imogen was on board. When she landed he barely felt the bump of her arriving in the hub.

"Are you going to be all right on the TARDIS with her?" Jack asked before he went out into the hub.

"I'll be fine and if I need you, you will be near by." The Doctor smiled as he took Imogen from Jack.

"I will send Gwen on later. She has been asking to see her for awhile now. I will also be back in a few hours to check on you." Jack promised as he kissed the Doctor softly on the cheek. He kissed Imogen on her head and then headed off to work. The doors remained open behind him and he could hear the Doctor talking to Imogen in Gallifreyan. Later he was going to have to call Martha and tell her their plan had failed, but for now, he had a mountain of paperwork to get started on.

As the day progressed Jack quickly became bored with the paperwork. He was surprised how much it could stack up in a month, when Ianto wasn't available to keep the paper work in check. He was going to have to give Ianto a raise for all of his hard work and he was also going to hire the sectary that his crew had been asking for. He thought they could handle it all, but it was clear to him now that they need help. He was busy working away when the door to his office opened and he wasn't surprised, when the Doctor entered his office with Imogen in tow. He had her wrapped up in a blanket and was holding her protectively to him. Jack didn't look up as the Doctor sat down and pulled one of the stacks of paper work towards him.

"Papa's work is usually more interesting." The Doctor informed the sleeping infant as he flipped through a couple of pages. "Although this one has potential. A girl was taken by the rift almost two weeks ago and has yet to be returned."

"We never find the ones who have been taken in time." Jack commented as he reached out and took the papers. "If she is returned then I will find her and she will have a place on Flat Holm Island if necessary." He turned and added the paperwork to the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet in his office, where he kept all the others. Very few people returned and of them only two were sane enough to remain among the general population. Though they also had close tabs kept on them. The Doctor leaned back in the chair.

"I'm bored." He complained. Jack thought about trying to convince the Doctor to go home with Imogen, but he was bored as well.

"You are the one who wanted to come to work with me today." Jack eyed him and the Doctor nodded. "Why don't you see if Gwen will watch Imogen for a little while and then you can help me to catalog artifacts that are down in the vault." The Doctor's eyes lit up and he hurried out of the office. Jack watched him go and then picked up his phone.

"Martha, yeah, he came to work with me today. I know you were right but I don't owe you a fiver." Jack told her as he headed out into the main hub. "I want to take him to dinner instead tonight, if you are available to baby sit."

"Dinner on the moon," The Doctor called up.

"He heard me." Jack sighed. "All right I will see you at 6. Thank you." He closed his phone. "The moon has snack foods only. I want to take you to someplace romantic, not a chip shop."

"Not this Earth's moon. The moon of Jamestown in the year 7000. They are known for their roast duck." The Doctor smiled. He handed Imogen off to Gwen with strict rules that if Imogen needed anything, he was to be called at a moment's notice. Gwen rolled her eyes but agreed. They spent the after noon cataloging the dangerous artifacts and Jack almost lost a hand when one of them exploded. The Doctor once he made sure Jack was all right, took the artifact on to the TARDIS and looked it in his vault.

When supper time rolled around, the Doctor took Imogen and dropped her off with Martha, before sending the TARDIS to her destination. The TARDIS of course didn't listen and instead they found themselves in the middle of a civil war between a group of no more then twenty people. They were the survivors of a crash that had killed off majority of the crew and left the survivors alone on a tiny island for the last five years. Being that entire world was covered in water, except for the small island the group lived on it was clear to see they had gone crazy in their isolation. The no coats wanted the green coat's land and the green coats wanted the no coat's village.

"I can take you off of this island and back to your homes," The Doctor tried to tell them, but the villagers decided he was even crazier then they were and decided to sacrifice him to the water god for his heathenism. Their weapons were crude. Just pieces of metal tied to sticks with what use to be shoe laces. They screamed at the Doctor and poked at him with the sticks. The civil war was declared over as they gained a new enemy, the heathen and his husband. Jack didn't want to hurt these people since they had all ready suffered but they gave him no choice. He hit one of the men who tried to grab his arm.

"Jack," The Doctor tutted loudly.

"He started it." Jack defended himself.

"Be better then that." The Doctor narrowed his eyes and Jack nodded. He backed up, wrenching his arm away from the next one who tried to grab him. Jack took the Doctor's hand and the two of them ran across the small island and onto the TARDIS. The people surrounded her and the TARDIS shook and rocked as the Doctor ran around the controls, resetting her destination.

They returned home laughing. It felt good to get out of the house and to run for their lives. As they stumbled arm in arm out of the TARDIS though the Doctor froze. Jack's desk was over turned and his computer smashed. Paper work was strewn all over the office.

"Martha," The Doctor cried out as he ran out of the office, Jack close behind. Martha was laying just inside the entry way. Blood seeped out of a deep gash on her head and her breathing was shallow.

"Find Imogen," Jack told the Doctor as he pulled out his phone to call an ambulance. The Doctor raced through the house calling for their daughter. His cries becoming more and more frantic as every room he checked was empty. It soon became apparent though that his search was in vain. Imogen was gone.


	22. Chapter 22

The Doctor rushed back into the room looking panicked. He practically collapsed on to Jack as he wrapped his arms around his husband sobbing.

"Kui'la is gone." He cried unable to hold it together. Jack turned and took the Time Lord into his arms.

"We will find her and when we do, the Bastard who did this is going to pay." Jack promised him. There was a loud knock on the door and Jack released the Doctor to open the door. Paramedics rushed in and began to attend to Martha as an officer pulled out his notebook and turned to Jack.

"What happened here?" The officer asked.

"Our daughter has been taken." The Doctor stated, standing with Jack.

"We were out on a date and she was babysitting our daughter. We came home to find that the house had been ransacked and she was knocked on conscious and our daughter is missing. She is on medication and has sever allergies to most medications. We need to find her quickly." Jack explained trying to remain calm.

"How old is the child?" The officer asked.

"Only three months, but she was premature so she is tiny for her age. She is only 2.27kgs." Jack answered. They gave the officer a description and a picture of Imogen. They had no idea who could have taken her and welcomed all the help they could get. As the officer informed the others of an abducted child, Jack got on the phone with Ianto. He got Gwen and Ianto busy working on finding Imogen while Mickey headed to the hospital to take care of Martha.

The Doctor on the other hand pulled out his phone and called UNIT as he headed onto the TARDIS to run a search for his daughter. After his brief breakdown he was more determined then ever to find her.

"This is the Doctor, let me speak with the person in charge of your medical unit," He demanded over the phone when he finally got a live person.

"I am sorry sir, he is unavailable." The woman on the other end replied..

"Tell him it is the Doctor." He told her as he ran around the TARDIS controls. He hit loudspeaker on the phone and set it down as the horrible hold music began to play. He hurried over to the monitor and turned it to him. He was running a search for any living being with two hearts in close proximity. So far it had only found him.

"Doctor? It is an honor to finally speak with you," A male voice told him over the phone. He could tell that they were saluting just by their tone and he groaned to himself.

"Sir, I need information on the man Otis that you sent over to attend to my daughter." He informed the man, not caring his name.

"He has worked for UNIT for almost ten years now without incident. Is there a problem?"

"He was unavailable to come in due to taking care of twins is that correct?" The Doctor replied and then swore colorfully in Gallifreyan as the search he was running turned up nothing.

"The care of the twins was turned over to the local hospital." The man answered. The Doctor hung up on him and then called Otis.

"Otis, it's the Doctor. I was wondering if you could come by tomorrow to check on Imogen. She was running a fever earlier today." He told the man as calmly as he could.

"I am sorry Doctor, but I am busy with UNIT." Otis answered.

"Right the twins." The Doctor said as he heard crying in the background. He hooked his phone to the TARDIS to trace Otis's phone.

"Yes, they are keeping me busy." Otis replied, sounding less calm then before. The crying faded and the Doctor's fury blazed with all the anger of the oncoming Storm.

"If you hurt her. I will..." The Doctor swore again as the call dropped. "Jack, Otis has Imogen."

"Why would he take Imogen?" Jack asked in disbelief as the Doctor came out of the TARDIS.

"I don't know, but I confirmed with UNIT he is not taking care of twins, but I heard her crying in the background. What if he is hurting her Jack?" He was starting to panic again. He gripped Jack's arm tightly as he felt as though his legs were going to give out.

"Ianto I want you to run a search for Otis's car. We have reason to believe he might have been the one to take Imogen." Jack told Ianto over the phone as he helped to support the Doctor. He was falling apart as well but he had to stay strong for his husband. He had yet to disconnect the call with Ianto as he stayed on the line to help Ianto run every possibility to find their daughter.

"Sir," Gwen's voice chimed in. "There was just a report over the police scanner of a baby being dropped off in front of a local store."

"Thank you, Gwen." Jack took the Doctor's phone and called Andy. Within twenty minutes they were on their way to the local hospital to meet up with the police who had retrieved the child. They weren't positive that it was Imogen as they went. The Doctor took another of his anti-depressants as he sat in the passenger seat of the car. Upon arriving, Jack showed the officer's his Torchwood badge and then breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Imogen being checked over by several of the nurses.

"That's her." Jack confirmed and Andy nodded to let them pass. He rushed over to his daughter's cot. "What have you given her?"

"Nothing, but you need to step back sir, she is hypothermic."

"No she isn't. She has a unique body chemistry that keeps her cooler." Jack explained. "I have her medical information, she has very strict needs due to medical allergies. Unfortunately her doctor was knocked out earlier tonight."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out Imogen's information that he kept with them. They were official documents that had been drawn up by Martha in case she did ever end up in a hospital. They stated that under no circumstances should she be given any medication without consulting either of her doctors. The nurse took the documentation to try to reach Otis or Martha as the Doctor came further into the room.

"Oh my Kui'la. Daddy is never letting you out of his sight again." The Doctor cried as he approached the cot she was sleeping in.

"I missed you." Jack whispered as he kissed the top of Imogen's head. "Any sign of her kidnapper?"

"No, but there were cameras and they confirmed a man in a gold car had her." Ianto responded. Jack watched the Doctor carefully examine his daughter for any marks. They found a small one on her thigh that looked as though a needle had pierced her skin.

"I'm going to kill him." Jack hissed. He looked at the Doctor surprised when he didn't chastise him for the death threat. The Doctor though was just nodding his agreement.

"We need to get her to the TARDIS and test her blood to see if she was injected with anything." The Doctor informed Jack, as he wrapped her back in her blanket.

"We will. At the very least we will get her blood back to test it. We also need to check on Mickey and see how Martha is doing. Hopefully she can help us understand why Otis took her." Jack rubbed soothing circles on the Doctor's back.

"I don't care why." The Doctor's voice was cold again and Jack shuddered slightly. He wanted to hurt Otis and it scared him that the Doctor was going to let him.

Even though they had Imogen's medical information, due to her low weight and cool body temperature, they decided to keep her over night for observation. The Doctor wasn't happy with the fact he couldn't take her home but understood their worry. Though no one said it out loud, Jack knew they were also watching how the Doctor interacted with Imogen. The Doctor was nothing but loving and devoted to Imogen though. When a nurse came back in and drew blood to test for anything that had been injected into the infant, the Doctor had held Jack's hand tightly when the Oncoming Storm blazed in his eyes. Thankfully Imogen was showing no signs of being drugged though as she screamed from getting blood drawn and then drank part of a bottle.

"Are you going to be okay alone if I step out to check on Martha," Jack asked the Doctor, knowing his aversion to be alone with her.

"I'll be fine," The Doctor answered. He was anything but alone in the hospital. Andy had left a police man to stand guard while Imogen was in the hospital, but no one believed her kidnapper would come back. Also there were nurses stopping in constantly to check on the infant and one was sitting in the room monitoring how much Imogen was eating. Jack kissed them both before heading out to check on Martha. The Doctor kissed him back but he was busy cuddling Imogen as he tried to coax her into eating more. The nurse nearby was giving him advice and to Jack's surprise the Doctor was actually listening to her. Shaking his head to try and clear it, he went up to Martha's room. She was being kept in the ICU and he was met by Mickey in the hallway.

"How is she?" Jack asked.

"She has been put into a medically induced coma due to the swelling on her brain. They have her ventilated and aren't planning on waking her until the swelling goes down." Mickey explained. "What was she hit with?"

"I don't know. I saw no evidence in the house that she was hit with anything. I don't even know how long she was out before we found her. I was hoping she would be able to give us answers." Jack responded as he walked with Mickey. They stopped just inside Martha's room. He was reminded of the Doctor laying in the bed as he listened to the hiss of the ventilator. He put a supportive arm on Mickey's arm, for once he could relate to what the young man was going through.

"The doctor's said that she could have amnesia when she wakes up. She may not even remember what happened or who took your daughter." Mickey shrugged Jack's hand off of his shoulder. Jack grabbed Mickey's shoulders and turned the man so that they were staring each other eye to eye.

"I care about Martha too and we will find out who did this. Not just for Imogen but for Martha as well. She deserves to know what happened to her, even if she can't remember it." Jack informed Mickey sternly. He moved his arms to hug Mickey and Mickey allowed him to briefly before pulling away again. Jack watched as Mickey went over to Martha and sat down next to her bed, taking her hand in his and gently stroking it, avoiding the IV in the back of her hand. Jack's phone rang and the nurse glared at him, pointing to a sign that advised everyone to silence their cell phones.

"Sorry," He apologized as he hurried out of the ICU and to the hall by the lifts. The caller ID showed that it was Mickey who called and he called him back. "Tell me you have information."

"I do but you're not going to like it." Ianto began and Jack swore under his breath. "The car was reported stolen earlier today and was found abandoned beside the highway a short time after Imogen was found. The cameras were not able to get a good look at the man who dropped Imogen off due to the hood he was wearing and there was another man driving the car. He was also wearing a hood and we are unable to get a good look at his face."

"So basically we have nothing," Jack confirmed.

"We have pulled the traffic footage and Gwen is currently reviewing it trying to see if any of the cameras caught the men's face. It is a little slow going without you Mickey or the Doctor, but we are managing." Ianto replied. "How is everyone?"

"Martha is in a medically induced coma and Mickey is by her side. She will remain in the coma until the swelling goes down. Imogen is being kept overnight for observation and then the Doctor and I will be into help search for her kidnappers. In the meantime while Gwen looks for the car, I want you to find out all the information you possibly can on Otis. I want to know everything about his life including anybody who could have been his accomplices."

"That could take all night." Ianto whined slightly.

"Then you better get on it." Jack snapped but then took a deep breath to calm himself down a little. "Work for a few hours and then both you and Gwen get some rest. When I get in tomorrow we can all take part of the project."

"I will and we will see you tomorrow." Ianto hung the phone up and Jack returned to the Doctor's side. The Doctor's face was lit up as Imogen was drinking happily from the bottle. For once she wasn't fighting them.

"That's my girl," Jack smiled.

"We changed the bottle nipple to one a little slower flowing and she seems to like it." The Doctor explained. Imogen finished her bottle and Jack took her to burp her. She burped and then spit up down Jack's shirt. He grimaced slightly as he handed her back to the Doctor who cooed at her about it not being very nice to spit up on her papa. Jack cleaned his shirt up the best he could in the loo but he still smelled of sour milk.

"Why would they want her blood?" Jack asked as he returned to the room to find the Doctor alone with Imogen.

"I've been thinking about that myself." The Doctor whispered as he rocked Imogen gently.

"And what conclusion did you come to?"

"They want her blood due to the Time Lord energy it carries in it." The Doctor responded.

"He was with us for months he could have taken your blood or hers at anytime." Jack sat down next to the two of them and pulled the Doctor close.

"Too risky. We were all watching him every time he was with her. He never had a chance to take our blood. Last night was the first time we weren't with him and Imogen." The Doctor stated.

"It was even worse for him to take Imogen," Jack hissed.

"I don't think he expected us to know it was him so quickly. Though if we hadn't found her quickly I would have crossed our own time lines to stop him and save our daughter. I can't lose her Jack, I can't go through that again." He whispered as he relaxed into Jack's arms.

"I know sweetheart, I know." Jack kissed him softly on the head. He held the Doctor for a little while, before moving to a chair. The Doctor laid quietly on the bed, holding Imogen on his chest. The telly in the room was on and though his eyes were on it, Jack didn't know how much attention he was paying to it. Jack pulled out his laptop and began to research the man who once was Imogen's doctor. He couldn't rest until he had his answers


	23. Chapter 23

After Imogen was released from the hospital, the first thing the Doctor did was take her into the TARDIS medi-bay to draw blood and perform his own test. He trusted the hospital had tested for all the human drugs they knew of and was even surprised when then had told him an unknown substance was in her blood. That had been quickly resolved though when Jack explained that she was on a new medication to help her growth. At the thought of Imogen's energy medication he remembered that he needed a new vial from the cabinet. She was up to .3 mgs a day and her energy was holding steady at 95%. Normally they would want to get her energy up to 98% but if it passed 100% she was in trouble. For now 95% would have to do. As he headed to get a syringe from the cabinet, he stopped off to get her medication first.

It was then that he noticed that a vial was missing. He could make more of the medication, it wasn't hard and he had figured out how to long ago. The missing vial thankfully didn't mean life or death for Imogen, it did though for whoever they gave the medication to. If a human took the medicine, it would cause them a very painful death as all the potassium in their blood was converted to an unusable chemical, not energy. The human would then die within twenty four hours or less. The Doctor had read the consequences but had never seen them played out, in truth, he didn't even feel as though Otis deserved that horrible of a death. He deserved to pay for his involvement in kidnapping Imogen but not like the chemical would cause.

He cursed silently to himself as he took a vial and then closed the cabinet. He changed the code on it and reminded himself to tell Jack the new code later. Taking the vial and the syringe he went back to where Imogen was resting comfortably in a cot.

"Daddy's sorry little one," he cooed as he wrapped her from the blankets and found a vein. She screamed as he inserted the needle and his hearts broke. As a preemie she was going to have to have a lot of test done growing up and he never wanted to be associated with the pain. With Martha in the hospital and Otis gone, he had to be. He cooed softly at her and made gentle shushing noises as he drew her blood. After he withdrew the needle he capped it and then held her close to him.

"What happened?" Jack asked entering the medi-bay. They had planned on meeting in the control room so that the Doctor could take them in the TARDIS to Torchwood.

"I took blood and now she is upset with me." The Doctor cooed. "Would you mind calming her while I test her blood."

"Didn't the hospital test it all ready?" Jack questioned as he took the screaming infant.

"Yes, but they don't have the TARDIS," The Doctor replied as he affectionately patted the TARDIS's wall. She blew warm air on him and he smiled. He took Imogen's blood into the medi-bay and separated it into several vials before placing it in the centrifuge. After he moved the TARDIS he would start the test to make sure there were no chemicals that were missed. He went back into the medi-bay and was relieved that Jack had calmed her down. She was holding Jack's finger in her tiny fist as she drank from her bottle. She still didn't look happy.

He kissed her softly on the head and then kissed Jack before heading out to the controls. Jack followed him and sat on the captain's chair while the Doctor piloted the TARDIS to Torchwood. As soon as they arrived there was pounding on the door and Jack passed him back Imogen as he rushed to open the door.

"Jack, you have to come quickly," Gwen said out of breath. "They just found a body on the side of the road that matches Otis's description."

"Shit," Jack swore as he rushed out. He had plans to kill Otis after he received answers. With Otis dead those answers were more then likely lost. "Ianto with me. Gwen you stay here with the Doctor. Update me on any new information on the way." Before Jack left he stopped by the TARDIS where the Doctor was still standing in the doorway, holding Imogen tightly to him. Fear showed in his brown eyes.

"Are you going to be all right with Gwen?" Jack asked sensitively as he rubbed the Doctor's arms.

"I'll be fine." The Doctor smiled. "I will just work on Imogen's test and start work on who Otis worked for. If you can, bring his body back here so I can autopsy it."

"If," Jack laughed. "I will have it here in a few hours." Jack promised as he kissed the Doctor goodbye. "Ianto now."

"Coming sir," Ianto put his paper work down and followed Jack out of the hub. The Doctor watched them go, before looking at Gwen suspiciously. He closed and locked the doors to the TARDIS.

"Daddy, will keep you safe," He told Imogen as he took her back to the lab.

-DW-

Jack arrived to the crime scene with Ianto. Ianto had been quiet the entire trip and Jack knew he was upset by his snapping at him. He wasn't about to apologize to him though. He slid out of the car and slammed the door behind him.

"Torchwood," he announced to the officer, before ducking under the tape. The body had been covered.

"What business of Torchwood's is this?" A young officer asked Jack.

"That doesn't matter. I am here to view the body and then we will be taking back to our labs to autopsy." Jack snapped at him as he knelt down to examine the body. Even though he hated the guy at the moment, Otis's death had been cruel. He had numerous stab wounds covering his torso and arms. Blood was dried on his chin and his wide open eyes were blood shot. Jack reached over and closed the man's eyes, surprised to feel the body was still slightly warm.

"Who called this in?" Jack asked the nearest officer.

"It was an anonymous tip." The officer replied.

"The body is still warm, that means whoever killed him, may have been the caller. Do you have the number?" Jack wondered and the man shrugged, making Jack curse. He was going to have to get Gwen to contact the police in order to get the information he needed. There was a reason he had her as a police liaison, not only because she use to be a cop. It was also because she was able to stay patient with them and they were willing to work with her.

It took a couple of hours and several phone calls, but Jack was able to get Otis's body in his possession. Together Ianto and Jack loaded the body bag in the back of the SUV to transport it back to Torchwood.

"Sir if I may," Ianto began.

"I am sorry I snapped at you earlier Ianto, but it was a rough night." Jack swerved around a car, leaning on the horn as he did.

"I understand that, but unless you want another body to autopsy, I suggest you slow down sir," Ianto told him. Jack glanced over briefly to see Ianto gripping the dashboard. His knuckles were white. Jack chuckled as he swerved around another car and then slowed down to a more reasonable speed.

"Sorry. I just want to get back. I am worried about Imogen. The Doctor is testing her blood to see if she was drugged beyond what the hospital could find. I don't think he could handle it if she needed medical care and with Martha in the hospital and Otis dead, I am not sure what we are going to do." Jack admitted. He needed Martha to be okay, not only because she was Imogen's doctor and his employee but because she was one of his best friends and like family.

"I am sure UNIT could send another doctor."

"After what happened with Otis, I don't think he would let another doctor within a mile of her. I am surprised he tolerated the hospital nurses though he did like one of them. She spent a lot of time with him discussing feeding and taking care of a new born." Jack commented.

"Could she help?" Ianto questioned, trying to push Jack into thinking it through.

"Possibly, but help isn't necessary because Imogen is going to be fine," Jack stated firmly, ending the discussion. He put his foot down on the gas again and Ianto prayed silently they made it back to Torchwood in one piece.

-DW-

The Doctor sat in the TARDIS medi-bay lab, singing softly to Imogen in Gallifreyan, as she lay in her cot nearby. He had finished separating her blood and now he was running various test on it to test for chemicals. All the test were coming back negative, which made him happy. About halfway through though, Imogen began to fuss. He tried changing her nappy, feeding her and rocking her, before he decided she just wanted to make noise. He had laid her back in her cot, and she curled her fist and screamed louder at him.

"What is the matter my Kui'la," he cooed softly in Gallifreyan. He reached out his mind to hers, to try to get a sense of what was wrong. She was too weak to connect properly still though and all that came through the link was her unhappiness. That is when he began to sing to her. He sung any song that came to mind, in any language he knew the song in. It was when he got to an old Gallifreyan melody that she began to calm down. He looked at her curiously as he sang and watched her eyes drift close. The medi-bay door opened and Jack entered, smiling when he heard his husband singing. The Doctor put a finger to his lips and then stood and headed over to Jack.

"Do you always talk to her in Gallifreyan when I am not around?" Jack whispered.

"Sometimes. I also talk to her in English or whatever language I feel like speaking in," the Doctor admitted.

"You are going to confuse her." Jack tutted, chastising the Doctor.

"She is part Time Lord Jack," The Doctor replied exasperated.

"That doesn't matter, she is still just an infant and she can't learn hundreds of languages at once. I can understand teaching English and Gallifreyan but can't the others wait?" Jack asked him.

"I knew hundreds of languages before I entered the academy," The Doctor exaggerated.

"Hundreds," Jack raised an eyebrow at him. The Doctor ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Maybe closer to 25 but I knew hundreds by the time I left Jack." The Doctor admitted. Jack smiled and kissed the Doctor softly on the lips.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Jack," The Doctor responded kissing him back. Jack kissed him for a few minutes, running his hands down the Doctor's back and grabbing his bottom. The thought of bending the Doctor over the medi-bay beds crossed his mind and he felt himself beginning to harden before he remembered why he had gone to find the Doctor in the first place. He immediately softened. "It was Otis."

"Way to ruin the mood," The Doctor sighed and then stepped back. "Were you able to bring the body back here?"

"Yes, I left it in the Torchwood autopsy room. I will watch Imogen if you want to go start your examination." Jack commented heading over to the cot.

"I do, but don't let Gwen or Ianto be alone with her." The Doctor informed Jack.

"I trust them." Jack replied, as he fixed the blanket around his sleeping daughter.

"You also trusted Otis." The Doctor reminded him. He hung his head at the thought. "So did I though." Jack turned to look at the Doctor but the Doctor left the medi-bay and headed to the autopsy room. He took a deep breath before entering. The body was laying on the table ready to be examined and had been removed from the body bag. The Doctor carefully folded the blanket down and laid it as a strip to preserve Otis's dignity as he began to examine his body.

Otis was covered in stab wounds and the Doctor didn't bother to count them. It looked like the cause of death, but he could see just from his initial examine that the stab wounds were a cover up. Otis had died from another cause, more then likely poisoning and the Doctor was sure that he knew what that poison was. Otis had bleed from his mouth and nose. Not only were his eyes blood shot, but blood had gathered at the corners. The Doctor pulled out a syringe and took a sample of his blood. He sat the syringe aside and then continued his examination.

Though Otis's body felt warm to the touch, the Doctor placed the time of death somewhere around 2 or 3 am. The chemical reaction in Otis's blood from the medication to create Time Lord energy had caused his body to stay warm long after death. The Doctor estimated it would be hours before it finally cooled down and rigor mortis set in properly. He examined him with his screwdriver and found internal bleeding, beyond what the knife wounds had covered up. He also found the injection point on Otis's arm. He shook his head and covered Otis's body back up.

"What did you find?" Jack asked as he returned to the main hub. He wasn't happy to see Gwen feeding Imogen. He glared at Jack and Jack ignored him. He reported his findings to the small team. Jack whistled through softly and leaned back in his chair. "How soon can you tell us if it was her medication that caused this?"

"A couple of hours. I just need to test his blood." The Doctor responded. "Have you found anything new about who might have killed him?"

"No but we are working on it. Doctor go test Otis's blood, Ianto I want you to continue to go through every data base looking for information on Otis, I will assist you Ianto. Gwen I need you to contact the police and find out what they know about Otis's death. We will meet back here in two hours to discuss any new information." Jack informed the team. Jack sighed loudly as he watched the Doctor head over to Gwen and take his daughter back. The Doctor didn't look at Jack as he headed back into the TARDIS. Jack would give him a little while to calm down and then take him a cuppa. In the mean time he had work to do.

Jack gave the Doctor a half an hour before he made a tea for the Doctor and took it into him. He wasn't upset with the Doctor for being cautious with who watched Imogen. He just hoped it wasn't going to lead to the Doctor running or trying to harm himself again. Jack still awoke from nightmares where he hadn't reached the Doctor in time. He entered the TARDIS and found the Doctor exactly where he said he would be in the lab. He was working on Otis's blood and had Imogen near by. The Doctor was talking away to her in Gallifreyan as he worked. As Jack approached though, he lifted his head and Jack leaned down and kissed him on the lips. He set the Doctor's tea down on the table and then sat down next to him.

"How come you don't trust Gwen anymore?"

"I trust Gwen," The Doctor replied in surprise.

"Just not with Imogen." Jack finished.

"No." The Doctor admitted quietly.

"So what are you not going to trust me with her next," Jack questioned him seriously.

"Don't be daft," The Doctor laughed but Jack didn't join him in his laughter. He just stared at the Doctor until the Doctor sighed. "She's my daughter."

"And she is mine as well. Don't forget that half of her DNA comes from me Doc. I trust Gwen and Ianto with my life, your life and Imogens. I also trust you with hers, but that doesn't give you the right to keep her away from people. She needs more then us if she is going to grow up healthy and happy." Jack stated and took the Doctor's hand. "I know that you are feeling anxious at the moment, but hiding her isn't going to help anybody."

"I miss talking to Martha," The Doctor admitted. He hadn't realized how much he had came to rely on Martha the last couple of months. Not only for his physical care but also to talk to. They had twice a week planned sessions but he had also taken to talking to her when ever he felt particularly upset. He pulled slightly on his suit cuff, making sure that the scars on his wrist were still covered. The action wasn't missed by Jack and he lifted the Doctor's arm and kissed the scar.

"I will phone Mickey here in a little while and see how she is doing." Jack promised him. "In the mean time we both have work to do."

"I have all ready confirmed the Time Lord energy medication is in his blood. Right now I am just running test to check the amount and confirm that there are no other drugs in his system." The Doctor responded turning back to his work.

"And that will only take you about another hour and a half?" Jack questioned in surprise.

"Jack." The Doctor drew his name out. "I have the TARDIS." He patted the TARDIS's wall and she blew warm air at him as she hummed. Jack returned to the hub and back to work with Ianto. They worked diligently and Jack swore as they started to piece together Otis's life.

Otis had been orphaned at a young age, though he was still old enough to remember his parents. He had gone to live with his grandmother after their death but he was a problem child. At the age of eight, his grandmother couldn't handle him anymore and he was shipped to one family member after another until he was 12. It was then that he moved in with the uncle who would make a difference in his life. The Uncle had put young Otis back on the right path and his grades improved in school. He passed his exams and then went straight off to college to become a doctor.

It was while he was in college that he started to get in trouble again and actually ended being arrested. The thing that made Jack swear though, is that it was Torchwood that had bailed the young man out. For the next few years he studied at college while he worked for Torchwood. He left Torchwood though after a few years and worked at a hospital before he ended up at UNIT. Jack quickly started to match known survivors of Torchwood one with known acquaintances of Otis's. Knowing that he had worked for Torchwood, Jack wasn't surprised Otis kept in touch with them.

"He was with Torchwood One," The Doctor spat in disgust as he walked up behind Jack. Jack jumped and spun around. He hadn't heard the Doctor approaching, though looking at the time, he realized it was almost time for their meeting. The Doctor was reading the information on Jack's screen with interest as he snuggled Imogen. She was in a carrier on his chest and she didn't look happy with her current position.

"Imogen looks as though she is deciding on whether or not she wants to cry sweetheart. I don't think she likes the carrier much." Jack informed him.

"No," The Doctor sighed. He carefully took her out of it and handed her to Jack as he took the carrier off. "We will try again when she gets older. It was nice to be able to hold her and use my hands."

"Find anything else about his blood?" Jack asked as Gwen joined the group, and cooed at Imogen. He glared at Jack as he handed Imogen to Gwen again, but he didn't comment on it.

"There were no additional chemicals or drugs in his system besides the one for the Time Lord energy. Based on the toxicity of his blood her had to take at least .10 mgs of it. I am unsure though of whether he willing injected himself." The Doctor informed them.

"I thought he was stabbed to death," Ianto commented.

"That was just a poor cover up for his death." Jack answered. "Gwen any thing from the police?"

"No, they have no idea where to begin. They have questioned a few people, but no one seems to know his whereabouts from the time he left UNIT yesterday until he turned up on the side of the road." Gwen responded. She handed Imogen over to the Doctor and he nodded his thanks as he held her close.

"Jack and I established that he worked for Torchwood in the past. Though he may have not known it was Torchwood. He worked for a small subsidiary firm under the name Burkstorm." Ianto informed the group.

"I believe he did know due to the fact that he stayed in touch with several others after leaving who went on to work for Torchwood one. If we are going to find out what they were planning we need to find out what he was up to on the last day of his life. I want everyone questioned who might have come into contact with him." Jack told Gwen.

"I will get started on it." Gwen agreed readily.

"Doctor, I know Martha may not be able to remember who attacked her, but the sooner she wakes up the sooner she can tell us. Don't you have anything that might assist her?" Jack questioned.

"There is a drug from the 83rd century that could help her, but I need to review medications that she is on currently first. Even with the drug though, it doesn't guarantee her memory of the event." The Doctor informed them.

"All right, Ianto I want you to continue to research Otis's life and look for any information you might have missed. I am going to call Mickey and let him know we are on our way to see Martha. Doctor it would be best if Imogen stayed here with Ianto. We might not be able to take her into see Martha." Jack advised the Doctor. The Doctor hugged Imogen closer to him as he shook his head.

"I can't leave her again Jack," he whispered as he hurried onto the TARDIS. Jack followed at a more casual pace, counting to ten in the process. He loved that man with all of his heart, but the Doctor was beginning to test his patients today.


	24. Chapter 24

Jack entered the TARDIS expecting to see the Time Lord dancing around the controls. He was instead surprised to see the TARDIS controls hadn't been touched. Confused he started to head back further into the TARDIS. He stopped when he spotted the Doctor out of the corner of his eye. He was sitting slightly behind one of the coral with his back pressed against the wall. He was holding Imogen tightly and tears were running freely down his face. Jack went over and sat down beside him. He lifted his arm and the Doctor immediately leaned into him, allowing Jack to hold them.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" Jack asked slightly concerned.

"I can't lose her Jack. I can't go through that again. I won't go through the pain of losing my child again. If anything happens to her, I'll kill myself." The Doctor admitted, his voice shaking slightly.

"I know sweetheart." Jack rubbed his arm softly. He had no doubt the Doctor was telling the truth. His heart couldn't bare the thought of losing both his husband and his daughter. "You can't think like that though and let it destroy you. Imogen is getting stronger everyday and she doesn't need the constant care of a doctor anymore. We are going to have to trust others to watch her and Ianto would risk his life to protect her."

"So would Martha and she almost lost her life because of it. I can't ask others to take that risk again. It is safer if she stays with us Jack." The Doctor looked up at him. His eyes unreadable.

"We can't take her everywhere all the time Doc. One of these days we will have to leave her at home again. Pushing Ianto and Martha away now is not going to make them more willing to help us in the future." Jack advised him.

"I can't leave her, not now Jack."

"When then? She is safer in the hub then she was at the house. I am going to change the locks on the door and replace the windows but she is going to have to leave our protective bubble at some point." Jack told him calmly.

"She's only an infant Jack." The Doctor rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of his daughter needing to be away from him. She needed him as much as he needed her. He was sure of it.

"She won't stay little forever Doctor and you can't keep her away from everybody forever either." Jack advised him seriously.

"I won't." The Doctor promised and Jack just looked at him doubtfully.

"Then if she is coming, we better get going. The longer it takes for Martha to wake up, the longer it will be until we have our answers." Jack tried to sound cold about it. The Doctor saw right through it though. Jack missed Martha as much as he did. They both needed Martha to be all right. Jack needed her as a friend and he needed her to also talk to the Doctor and make him see reason. Jack got to his feet and then helped the Doctor up off the floor. The Doctor cradled Imogen in his left arm as he danced around the control setting the coordinates for the hospital.

"Make sure that you land us in the parking garage that way we don't draw to much attention to ourselves. The last thing we need to do is materialize in Martha's room and scare the nurses." Jack advised him. The Doctor smiled at him, looking a little guilty.

"Would I do that?" He asked Jack as he adjusted the coordinates on the TARDIS.

"Yes," Jack responded. He flopped down in the captains chair as the Doctor pulled the hand break to send them into the vortex. It was only a short trip to the hospital and within five minutes they had landed again. Jack looked out and rolled his eyes seeing that they were parked inside a supply cabinet. The Doctor didn't seem to care though as he hurried to the medi-bay to grab the medicine for Martha.

"Aha," the Doctor announced as he returned with the serum. "Alpha X theta. A small injection of this will reduce the swelling around her brain and allow Martha to wake cleanly in a couple of hours. It has the side affect of making her nauseous though, but that will pass."

"Then let's give it to her." Jack said happily. Together they left the supply cabinet and slipped unnoticed by the nurses into Martha's room. Mickey was still sitting there holding her hands and a quick look at the monitor revealed that there had been no changes in the hours since they had left.

"What are you doing here?" Mickey asked a little crossly.

"We're here to help her. The Doctor has a medication that is going to help reduce the swelling around her brain. He just needs to review her medical information and make sure that it isn't going to interact negatively with the medication the hospital is currently giving her." Jack advised him as he squeezed Mickey's shoulder in a comforting manner. The Doctor meanwhile went through Martha's charts on the computer. It was easy to bypass the hospital's passwords using his sonic and in no time he had all the information he needed. His hearts sank slightly when he saw the MRI's. There was little hope in the 21st century that Martha would wake at all from the damage that was inflicted. If she did wake then her recovery was going to take time, if she ever managed to recover.

He wasn't going to let that happen though. Martha was not going to suffer because she had been unlucky enough to meet him. She was an amazing doctor and he owed his life to her. The whole world owed Martha their lives, because even if no one could remember it, she had saved them all. The Doctor pulled the serum and a syringe out of his jacket.

"I am going to give her an injection Mickey, that will allow her to heal and recover. She is still not going to be up on her feet right away, but she will have hope for a full recovery." The Doctor told him. He handed Imogen off to Jack and then prepared the injection. He took Martha's arm and injected it into the canola.

"She is going to be sick when she wakes up. Do not let them give her an anti-emetic, just let the sickness take it's course." The Doctor informed Mickey and he nodded.

"Thank you Doctor." Mickey squeezed Martha's hand. "How long until she wakes up?"

"She will be able to wake up in a couple of hours. They will still need to reduce the medication she is on that is keeping her asleep. I don't want them to early though and risk her waking up before she is ready." The Doctor checked Martha's vitals. Once he was satisfied she wasn't having a negative reaction to the medication he took Imogen back from Jack. The door opened and a nurse walked in, she glared upon seeing them both in the room.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked them.

"We were just leaving," Jack reassured her as he ushered the Doctor out of the room and quickly towards the exit. He looked back to make sure the nurse wasn't watching before steering them towards the TARDIS. "Martha's going to be all right isn't she?" He asked the Doctor as they entered the cabinet.

"She'll be fine," The Doctor stated as he sent the TARDIS into the vortex. Rather then land at Torchwood again, he landed in the same spot four hours later. They exited the TARDIS again and then headed towards Martha's room. Jack was surprised to see Mickey leaning against the wall opposite her door.

"What happened?" Jack asked in concern as he rushed forward.

"She woke up. The doctor is in there now checking her out. He can't believe she is awake." Mickey smiled as he grabbed Jack and hugged him tightly before he turned and hugged the Doctor, being careful not to squish the baby in his arms. "Ha, she is awake and thanks to you Doctor she is going to be fine."

"Don't thank me yet Mickey. It is because of me she was hurt in the first place." The Doctor advised him, suddenly moody. Jack shook his head.

"I don't blame you Doctor and as soon as Martha is in the clear, I will help you find whoever did this. I just want you to promise me that I get second shot at them." Mickey growled.

It was a short time later when the door to Martha's room finally opened. Her doctor stepped out scratching his head with one hand as he reviewed her charts. He walked past the small group that had gathered outside of her door without comment. The Doctor lifted an eyebrow at Jack who shrugged.

"I guess he is busy." Jack commented as he watched the man hurry down the hallway, muttering to himself.

"Right." The Doctor drew the word out and then stepped away from the wall and headed into Martha's room. She was laying on the bed looking out the window. Her complexion was paler then normal and the ventilator had been replaced with an oxygen line that ran beneath her nose.

"Martha," He said softly so as not to startle her. She turned to look at him. Her eyes grew wide.

"Doctor, they wanted Imogen. I couldn't stop them." She cried out, panicking.

"Shhh, calm down. Imogen is here and she is safe." He reassured her, showing her the child in his arms.

"That's not Imogen," She cried out grabbing the Doctor's arm. He looked at her confused. He looked down at Imogen and smiled at her. Brushing his mind against hers he felt the same bond that had been building for months now between them. He didn't think anyone would be able to trick him and switch his daughter without him realizing it, but even if they did somehow manage it, they couldn't recreate the bond he had with her.

"Why do you say that?" He asked calmly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He moved Imogen into one arm so that he could take Martha's hand. She squeezed it tightly as she stared at him.

"They took her, I couldn't stop them. They held me down and I fought them, but they still took her." Martha explained her voice still frantic.

"They let her go Martha. She was given back to us safe and sound." He let go of her hand and reach up, gently brushed Martha's hair back as he tried to calm her down. She leaned into his touch, tears streaming down her face. "Do you remember who took her?"

"Two men," She whispered.

"Did you recognize either of the men?" He asked her softly.

"No," She whimpered and then gagged. Mickey was by their side a moment later with a bowl. The Doctor kissed Martha on the head, before moving and allowing Mickey to sit down in his place. Mickey wrapped his arms around Martha and held her as she leaned into him.

"Now listen to me Martha," The Doctor said as he knelt down. "I have given you a medicine that has helped to reduce the swelling and allow you to wake. It is going to make you feel sick though and I am sorry but you have to let the medicine run its course. Do you understand?" She nodded. He left the room, leaving Mickey to care for her.

"Otis was still involved." Jack commented. He had heard the entire conversation. The fact that Martha didn't recognize either of the two men who had taken Imogen didn't matter.

"I know, but was he a victim as well Jack?" The Doctor questioned as the two of them walked towards the TARDIS.

"I don't know," Jack admitted. "But I can assure you sweetheart, we are going to find out." He paused for a moment. "What did Martha mean that she isn't Imogen?"

"She was confused. Her last memory is of Imogen being taken by the two men. I have test the bond several times though Jack. She also has Time Lord energy." He explained. Though that didn't answer the question of why she thought Imogen had been replaced. They had been focusing on Imogen's kidnapping because she was their daughter, but there may have been more then one kidnapping that night. He also was more confused about how Otis had been involved. They needed answers and all his talk with Martha had given them was more questions. Upon reaching the TARDIS, Jack opened the TARDIS doors and he walked quietly to the console.

"Where to?" He asked Jack.

"Home," Jack responded. They both needed to rest. He was tired and hungry. He also wanted to try to get the Doctor to eat. He took one side of the console and together they piloted the TARDIS back to her spot within the office. The office was a mess still and Jack sighed knowing that he was going to have to clean it up, but not now. The living area was no better. Martha's blood was still on the floor and furniture had been knocked out of place. The Doctor walked over to Imogen's cot and laid her in it before removing his coat.

"I'll make dinner," he said, not looking at the blood as he threw his coat over the back of the couch.

"I will start cleaning up then." Jack caught the Doctor's arm as he hurried past him. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," The Doctor answered immediately and then pulled his arm loose as he hurried into the kitchen. The Doctor's answer burned his thoughts and he couldn't help but wonder how much the recent events had set the Doctor back.


	25. Chapter 25

The Doctor couldn't sleep. He lay awake listening to Jack's gentle snoring and Imogen's grunting. Normally he could sleep through the noise, but tonight it was keeping him up. He lifted his head from where it was rested on Jack's chest and stared at his sleeping husband. Grumbling he got out of bed. Jack didn't care as he rolled over in his sleep and curled slightly on his side with a sigh. The Doctor though, picked Imogen up out of her crib and hurried down to the TARDIS.

Martha's words of that's not Imogen, kept playing in his head. Of course it was Imogen, he would know if his own daughter had been changed on him. But the doubt had been planted. He took her into the medi-bay and laid her in the cot they kept for her. Using a syringe, he took a small amount of blood and then placed it on a slide. Cuddling the now crying infant, he placed the slide where the TARDIS could analyze the blood. It took only a matter of minutes for the TARDIS to confirm that the baby was Imogen and that she had Time Lord energy that had dropped to 90%. He wasn't worried though, it tended to drop at night and would rise with her first bottle in the morning.

"So why was Martha convinced you had been switched Kui'la?" He asked her softly. He took her to the console room with him as he started to pull up information on the TARDIS monitors. No other kidnappings had been reported in the last few days of a child Imogen's age. As he dug deeper though he found that a mother had been discovered dead in London a month ago. The whereabouts of her two children were unknown but police were looking for two male suspects. With ease the Doctor hacked into Torchwood from the TARDIS and pulled up the surveillance footage from the store where Imogen had been left. He was watching the footage when Jack came into the TARDIS yawning.

"Ianto would like you to stop hacking our network." Jack grumbled.

"Sorry but I needed to see the footage you gathered." He replied not sounding sorry at all.

"And you couldn't wait until morning." The Doctor opened his mouth and Jack held up a hand. "Don't answer that." He walked up behind the Doctor and wrapped his arms around his waist. Kissing him softly on the neck. He watched the rest of the video with him up until the time the car started to drive away. The Doctor paused it.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I'm not sure." He rewound the tape and watched it again. "Did they follow the car once it left?"

"Yes but Ianto lost track of it." Jack answered.

"He didn't have me. Allons-y." He turned and pressed Imogen into Jack's arms as he danced around the console, setting the coordinates, pulling levers and pressing buttons. The TARDIS quickly landed at Torchwood at the Doctor was out the doors again before Jack even had time to process what had just happened. The alarms were still sounding inside the hub. He flopped into the chair beside the main computer network and with in moments the alarms went quiet.

"Sorry," He iterated again as he began to type.

"Sir," Ianto turned to look at Jack as he exited the TARDIS. Jack shrugged.

"A coffee and tea please Ianto and then you can go home for the night," Jack informed the Welshman. Ianto still looked confused as he nodded. Ianto disappeared in the kitchen, while Jack pushed two chairs closer together. He sat down in one of them and placed his feet up in the other. He leaned back, laying Imogen on his chest and closed his eyes. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to follow the Doctor's train of thought when he got into his moods. For now it was just better to let him work. Jack was asleep again by the time Ianto set the coffee down and let himself out of the hub.

The Doctor didn't sleep again though as he worked through out the night. He traced the car using the various surveillance footage around the city and by a couple of time predicting where the car was heading. The car disappeared from cameras at one point and checking the map he found it was about the point where Otis was found dead. Yet there were still two men in the front of the car. That only gave two options, either a. they had picked up a second man or b. Otis was with them the entire time, just not in plain site. He wondered if Otis had been in the boot of the car. He followed the car again until it was abandoned on the side of the road about an hour outside of London. From there he lost the men. Cursing to himself in Gallifreyan he reached over and tickled Jack's nose.

"I need access to the abandoned car," He told Jack as soon as his eyes opened.

"What abandoned car?" Jack asked in confusion as he woke up and tried to figure out what the Doctor was going on about. The Doctor sighed.

"The men who took Imogen, abandoned the car just outside of London and I need access to it, to find out if there is any evidence of Otis being in the front of the car or if he was in the boot." The Doctor explained rolling his eyes. Jack nodded slowly as he tried to wake up. He reached for the coffee cup that Ianto had left near him. The cup was empty, he looked at the Doctor again.

"I developed a taste for coffee while I was pregnant," The Doctor explained, dismissing Jack with a wave of his hand. "Now can you get me access to the vehicle or do I have to use the TARDIS?" Before he met Jack there would not have been a question. He would have used the TARDIS and the sonic to gain access to wherever he needed to go. Now because Jack worked for Torchwood and he was known to be with Jack, he tried to help keep the authorities from bugging Jack by going the legal routes on earth.

"When Gwen gets here in an hour, I will have her talk to the local police and get you access." Jack promised. The Doctor didn't look happy as he turned back to the computer and began to type quickly again. He wanted his answers now, but in the meantime, he still had to find the men who took his daughter.

The Doctor was impatient by the time that Jack got clearance for them to examine the car. He was pacing the hub, muttering that with the TARDIS he could have had clearance hours ago. He was also explaining softly to Imogen why Time Lords were better then apes and many other species. Jack didn't bother to point out that the Doctor was married to a human and the little girl in his arms was half human and therefore part of the species the Doctor felt superior to at the moment. The phone rang and Jack headed up to his office to hear the call better. He was happy to hear Gwen on the other end. He spoke to her for a few moments before heading back to the main hub.

"Gwen just called we can go see the car." Jack announced to the Doctor.

"About time," The Doctor sighed heading towards the TARDIS.

"Hold it. If we go, Imogen needs to stay here with Ianto." Jack said firmly causing the Doctor's eyes to narrow.

"Why?" He held Imogen tighter to him as he glowered at Jack.

"Because one, she will be safer here if we find out where the men are located. Two, I am not telling you the location of the car until you agree." The Doctor's glare darkened. The fury of the Oncoming Storm blazed at Jack. He had seen brave men fall and cower from the Doctor for less. Five years into their relationship though, Jack had received the look a few times before and wasn't afraid of the Doctor. He crossed his arms. "Think logically about it Doctor. Do you really want to bring her to the men who tried to take her in the first place? Ianto will stay here inside the hub and no one will be able to gain access to her."

The Doctor thought about it. He was livid at Jack for trapping him in the decision. If he wanted his answers he was going to have to agree. Slowly he walked over to Ianto and reluctantly handed him Imogen.

"If something happens to her..." He threatened.

"I will keep her safe sir." Ianto promised. The Doctor stormed past Jack on to the TARDIS. Jack entered the TARDIS and closed the doors behind him. Almost as soon as the doors were closed the Doctor slammed Jack against the wall. He didn't say anything as he glared angrily at him for a moment.

"Where are we going?" He asked his voice so low that Jack barely heard him. Jack gave him the coordinates and the Doctor released him and stormed quickly to the console. As he headed up the ramp the TARDIS took off with a jolt and he fell forward. He caught the railing and looked up at the Doctor who was watching him from the console. The Doctor's feet were spread slightly apart and he swayed as the TARDIS jolted again suddenly.

"I understand you are angry sweetheart, but leaving her behind was the safest plan." Jack explained.

"We're here," The Doctor said as he walked swiftly out of the TARDIS. The Doctor spent awhile examining the car. He looked in the boot and put on his thinking glasses. He used the sonic to check every inch of the boot before looking in the backseat. He examined every inch of it to with the sonic.

"Aha." He exclaimed loudly.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Blood." He licked his finger and Jack grimaced. "Human blood. B negative in fact."

"Otis's blood?" Jack wondered.

"I believe so. If it is in the back seat that means he would have shown on the video but there was no third man in the car." The Doctor grinned. "They didn't take Otis when they dropped off Imogen."

"So they have to be located close to where Imogen was dropped off." Jack concluded and the Doctor smiled. "Or Otis was the second man."

"Otis would have been too sick. He had all ready been injected by the time I spoke with him, otherwise he wouldn't have died so early. If he had been injected afterwards, he would have died later in the morning." The Doctor explained. He went back into the TARDIS and pulled up a map of places near where Imogen was left. Of the nearby places there were several that had potential for being hideouts for the two men. The Doctor chose one of them, seemingly at random and they landed near it first.

They had checked seven of the buildings with no luck and Jack was beginning to think that they were chasing a dead end. The Doctor though was determined as he walked up to the small building. He tried the door and just like three of the previous buildings, found it locked. Pulling out the sonic, he unlocked the door and let himself in. As soon as the door opened gunshots filled the air. Jack pulled the Doctor out of the way and then took aim. He brought one of the men down with a shot right between the eyes. The second man, he shot through the shoulder first and then through the man's foot in quick succession.

"Jack can I see the gun?" The Doctor asked holding out his hand. Jack was surprised as he handed the gun to the Doctor. The Doctor didn't even look at it as he opened the chamber and emptied the remaining bullets into his hand. He put them all into his pocket and then handed Jack the empty gun. "I don't like guns."

"They would have killed you."

"I will regenerate and you can't die." The Doctor pulled his glasses out and put them on as he headed over to a small lab on the side of the lab.

"I told Otis he should have killed you." The man spat at them.

"Oh this is brilliant. They are trying to combine the Time Lord energy with human blood." The Doctor smiled as he examined there work. "It will never work, but the research is brilliant."

"Is that why you took Imogen?" Jack asked the man and the man laughed at him. Jack hit him across the head with the empty gun. The man's laughter stopped abruptly

"Where is the other child?" The Doctor wondered as he sonicked the computer, reading Otis's research. He pulled a small stick device out of his pocket and hooked it up to the computer.

"I ain't telling you nothing."

"That's all right, Otis already told us everything." Jack lied. The Doctor looked at him a moment as he transferred the files onto the device. Once he was sure he had them all he used the sonic once again. This time though he wiped the hard drive clean.

"Otis knew nothing." The man informed him. "He stayed here in the lab."

"Where is the child?" The Doctor knelt down in front of the man, their faces barely an inch apart. The man opened his mouth to lie again but the Doctor cut him off. He didn't like what he was about to do, but a child's life was at stake. He placed his hands on the man's temples and forced himself into the man's mind. Within moment's he pulled back panting. "She is safe. She was given to his sister."

"Did you find out why they took her in the first place?" Jack wondered. He placed a comforting hand on the Doctor's back. He knew that regardless of the circumstances the Doctor hated reading someone else's mind without permission.

"They were going to switch them but Imogen is smaller then an average baby and at the last minute they decided to take her instead." The Doctor explained. He stood up straight and then turned to Jack. "We need to get her and take her back to her family."

"You go on ahead. I will be out in a minute." Jack kissed the Doctor's head and the Doctor looked at him suspiciously. "Trust me."

"I always trust you." The Doctor reassured him as he left the warehouse.

"Are you going to kill me too?" The man wondered as Jack reached for his handcuffs.

"No." Jack promised as he drug the man across the room to the small lab. He hand cuffed the man to the desk and then headed out the door, locking it behind him. The Doctor looked at him questioningly and Jack smiled. "What I didn't kill him?"

-DW-

The Doctor and Jack stepped off of the TARDIS and back into their home. The Doctor was carrying Imogen, who was sleeping happily in his arms. Ianto had kept her safe for him and for that he was entirely grateful, though he still didn't trust her to be alone long without him. The fact that Ianto had kept her safe he contributed to the hub more then Ianto.

"Do you think Hannah is going to be all right?" Jack asked the Doctor as they settled down together on the couch. His arm draped around his husband.

"She is too young to remember what happened." The Doctor informed Jack as he leaned into him. They had found the baby that was taken to replace Imogen and returned her to her family. The family was grateful to have their baby back after the tragic loss of her mother. They thanked the Doctor and Jack profusely and tried to offer them a reward for returning Hannah to them, though they had little for themselves. Jack wouldn't hear of it and instead he decided to set up a fund for them. It was because of their family that Hannah had been taken in the first place and Jack wasn't able to forget that. The Doctor leaned up and kissed Jack softly on the neck interrupting his thoughts and plans.

"Imogen's asleep." He whispered in Jack's ear. Jack smiled. They had to be up early tomorrow to help Martha come home from the hospital. The Doctor was going to check her out in the TARDIS to make sure that there was no ill affects from the blow to her head and then the medication she received. Jack was going to give her all the time she wanted off of Torchwood and in the mean time the Doctor could take care of autopsies. He looked at the time and realized that he would only get an hour of sleep at this rate.

"I'll put Imogen in her cot and meet you in our room." The Doctor kissed him again and then walked briskly up the stairs. Jack smiled and ran up after him.


End file.
